Fall Into Me
by WildHope83
Summary: There were so many things that I wanted to say as I stared up into his eyes, but there wasn't enough time. So I blurted the first thing that came to mind hoping it was enough to bring him back to me in the end. "I love you," I breathed and the fire that lit up his dark eyes gave me hope that it had done the trick. JacobOC
1. Chapter 1

So, I know in the epilogue of my last story I said that this would likely take a week to put up because I hadn't decided on the direction I was going to go for my next story. That was becuase I had two different ideas with the first couple of chapters complete, but on Friday I decided which one I was going to go with, so, I tinkered around with the first chapter of the 'winner' since I had written them a long time ago and here it is.

If you're new to my stories, welcome, and thanks for checking out my first attempt at a JacobOC story. Obviously, it's AU since Jacob will not be imprinting on Reneseme and the story begins near the beginning of 'Eclipse.' I hope you like the first chapter, and as always, please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter One**

The plane ride from southern California to Seattle had been rather uneventful and like every other flight I had taken over the course of my existence, but the small twin engine plane ride from Seattle to the tiny town of Port Angeles had been another experience all together. I was usually perfectly fine when flying but sitting there with five other people on that tiny cramped plane was something I _never_ wanted to do ever again.

I had to fight the urge to kiss the ground as I clamored off the plane with my fellow passengers and I adjusted the strap of my black leather travel bag on my right shoulder. Other than my laptop, iPod, and a couple of changes of clothes, all my other possessions had already been packed and shipped to Forks earlier in the week. My mother's cousin, a man named Charlie Swan, was now my legal guardian; and in all honesty I was surprised the man actually agreed to take me in after social services contacted him. I didn't even know that my mother had any sort of family left in the world since she was an only child and my maternal grandparents had both died when I was a little girl. I had never met my father, hell, I didn't even know the man's name, and Mom had left that line conveniently blank on my birth certificate.

I'd been in foster care for the last eight months while social services checked into my maternal grandmother's sister who had lived in Washington state to see if she had had any children or other family in the area. In those eight months I had lived a surprisingly comfortable life with a nice family in San Diego. Sure, it really wasn't the same as life had been with Mom in our small house near the ocean, but it certainly wasn't anything like the horror stories that were out there about the foster care system.

I looked around the small airport, not really sure what I was looking for until I saw a man with short black hair and a mustache looking right at me. He was dressed in well-worn jeans and a green and white flannel jacket over a black t-shirt, and he was standing next to, of all things, a police cruiser. I knew that Charlie was the Chief of Police in Forks, but I certainly hadn't expected him to pick me up in his cruiser, but the way my life was going lately I really needed to learn to expect the unexpected. I gave him an uncertain smile before I started to make my way over to him, shivering a bit as I went when a cool breeze hit me.

I realized then that in my cap sleeve dark purple top and knee length flowing black skirt I was a little underdressed given the weather in Port Angeles. It had been almost eighty degrees in San Diego when I got on the plane this morning and it hadn't been that chilly in Seattle when I switched planes to head to Port Angeles. Obviously, the weather in the very upper northwest corner of the country was going to take some getting used to. It was the middle of May and it felt like it was the middle of December back home, and the slight drizzly mist in the air was not doing my naturally curly shoulder blade length hair any favors. Obviously, living in southern California for the last two and a half years had made me soft. Hopefully as the summer wore on it would get warmer around here because the summer was going to suck if it was always cool and rainy.

"Charlie?" I asked as when I stopped walking about five feet in front of the man and he nodded as he gave me a small smile.

"Yeah," he said as he pulled his hands from his pockets, "and you're Aurora," he said more than asked and I nodded my head before I tucked a few strands of my shoulder blade length dark brown hair behind my ears. He cleared his throat awkwardly before he looked towards the plane. "Do you have any other bags?" he asked, his brown eyes settling back with my blue.

"No," I said before I tapped my bag resting at my hip. "Just this. All my other things were already shipped."

"All right," he said as he pulled out a set of keys from his right front pocket. "Let's get going then." I nodded and walked around the front of the car and climbed into the passenger seat, mindful of my skirt, and sat my bag in my lap while Charlie started the car. I quietly thanked him when he turned the heat on low and he nodded his head before we started the hour drive to Forks.

It was quiet at first in the car, Charlie not knowing what to say and I was pretty much just taking in all the green that surrounded me as we left Port Angeles and drove down the practically deserted two lane road towards Forks. I had never seen so many different yet similar shades of green with splashes of brown before in my life. I had grown up in upstate New York with my mom, but we had moved to southern California almost three years ago because Mom's job had transferred her to their main office in San Diego. Southern California certainly had a lot of beautiful sights to offer, but surprisingly I found the lushness of Washington state much more appealing.

"You know," Charlie said and I looked at him, "the last time I saw your mother, she was just a little bit younger than you. If your hair was a shade or two lighter and your eyes green, you'd look just like her when she was your age." I smiled because I'd been told a few times that I looked like my mother by her friends and people she worked with, I never really saw it, but if Charlie was saying it I figured it must be true since he'd known mom when she was around my age. I voiced my thoughts and Charlie chuckled as he shifted in his seat a little bit, and I once again tucked my hair behind my ears.

"I know things might be a little awkward, Charlie, with me around but I'll do my best to stay out of the way," I said and he glanced at me again.

"I'm . . . I'm not worried about you getting in the way, Aurora. You _won't_ be in the way," he said with a slight frown on his face. "I'm more worried about you in general. You lost your mother and now you're going to be living with people who are virtual strangers to you."

"I lived with virtual strangers for the last eight months, Charlie, and I survived just fine," I threw in, trying to ease his worry for me, and he shot me a small grin.

"Maybe, but you weren't living in a small town that is about as far from what you're used to as you can get, and away . . . away from your mother." I took a deep breath and slowly let it out before I spoke.

"I'm actually looking forward to living here, Charlie," I said, and I wasn't lying. I really was looking forward to living in the small quiet town that was thousands of miles away from anything and everything that reminded me of my mother. I'd been doing my best for the last couple of months to make it seem like I moved on, but when something reminded me of her it became almost impossible for me to maintain the smile I put on for the world. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine." I tried to sound reassuring, and it seemed like Charlie actually believed me. Apparently, my acting skills had improved.

"Still, I want you to know that if you ever need anything or you need to talk, you can come to me," he said. "I may not be the best conversationalist, but I'm a good listener; or so I've been told." I laughed lightly at that and nodded my head as my right hand found its way to the charm that rested on the platinum chain around my neck. The small platinum star with a tiny round ruby in the center had been one of the gifts Mom had given me for my sixteenth birthday and ever since the accident I never took it off anymore.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said and he smiled at me before he returned his eyes to the road.

"We put up your furniture in your room for you," Charlie said after a beat, "and Bella's friend, Alice, is convinced that you'll like the way we set it up. Alice has an eye for that kind of stuff and I wanted to make sure you had a room ready and waiting for you, so, she helped me put it together for you. Alice and Bella even unpacked your things and put everything a way for you when Bella got back from visiting her mother in Florida last Sunday. I hope you don't mind that they did that."

"I don't. That was really nice of them," I said as I lowered my hand. While I thought it odd that they did that for me, I was grateful. Especially since I started classes at Forks High School on Monday and I could relax the rest of that Saturday and Sunday without worrying about getting everything unpacked and situated before then. Going to school was really the only thing I wasn't looking forward to because there was only a month left in the school year. I knew that since the town and the school was so small my arrival was probably already well known, which was why I was slightly nervous.

"Alice is a nice girl and Bella spends a lot of time with her and her family," he said as he nodded his head, but the slight inflection in his voice told me he wasn't all that happy about that fact. If he liked Alice so much, I wasn't sure why he wasn't happy that Bella spent a lot of time with them; but I wasn't about to question him about it. "We just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable and feel at home since this is your home now."

"Thank you, Charlie," I said softly and he glanced at me.

"There's nothing to thank me for, Aurora," he said. "After all, you're family."

* * *

Charlie's house was a nice two-story house and it had a very comfortable homey feel to it that enveloped me the second I stepped inside, and I was surprised to see people standing in the living room, seemingly waiting for us. I knew that the girl with the long dark hair and brown eyes had to be Charlie's daughter, Bella, she actually looked a little bit like him, and she was really very pretty in an assuming kind of way. She was dressed in comfortable looking jeans and a t-shirt with a long sleeved shirt underneath. The girl next to her, however, was easily one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen in person before.

Her short dark hair was cut in a nice pixie style that suited her high cheekbones and flawless alabaster skin perfectly, but it was her eyes that stood out. They were a golden brown color and lined by long dark lashes. She obviously leaned more on the girly side of the fashion spectrum, like me, given the black leggings and stylish blouse she was wearing, and was a great deal shorter than Bella, who I guessed was around five feet five or five feet six inches tall. If Bella looked tall next to her, I could only imagine what I would look like since I stood five feet ten and a half inches tall. I already towered over most people that I came into contact with, except Charlie and I were about even in the height department with him being just a touch taller.

"Alice, I didn't now you'd be here," Charlie said as he closed the door behind me and Alice just smiled a breathtakingly perfect smile at Charlie.

"I wanted to be one of the first to welcome Aurora to Forks," Alice said simply and Charlie chuckled before he patted my shoulder and urged me forward. I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and smiled back at Alice when she turned her smile to me as I walked into the living room. I looked between the two girls and both of them looked up at me as I came to a stop in front of them.

"Hi Aurora, I'm Alice Cullen," the pixie like girl said brightly, "and as you probably already guessed this is Bella."

"Hi," I said lightly as I nodded. It grew quiet between us and I took a deep breath before I said the first thing that came to mind. "Charlie told me on the way here that you guys are graduating next month," I said, blurting the first thing that came to mind from my continued conversation with Charlie in the car, and Bella nodded.

"Yeah," she said and I could see that Bella had inherited Charlie's 'silent type' personality.

"My brother, Edward, is as well," Alice said suddenly and I blinked at her.

"Are you guys twins?" I asked and she laughed, which was a perfect bell like sound, before she shook her head.

"No, we're adopted siblings," Alice said evenly and I nodded.

"Oh, cool," I said and she smiled.

"I'm glad you girls are getting along and all, but I'd like to show Aurora to her room. She's been planes all day and would probably like to rest for a little while," Charlie said and Alice was suddenly at my side, lacing her left arm with my right. The girl was surprisingly chilled through the sweater blouse she was wearing, but I figured it was probably just me because I felt like I needed to hit the defrost button to warm up a bit from my little jaunt outside.

"We'll show her, Charlie," Alice said and Charlie grinned at the girl before he nodded his head.

"Okay," he said and Alice was pulling me towards the stairs with Bella trailing behind. Alice chatted away as she led me up the stairs and then down a short hallway. The first bedroom was obviously Bella's room and we continued on before Alice led me to the second open door in the hallway. I took a sharp breath as I looked at the room and almost let my bag slip off my shoulder in surprise.

"I hope it's not too much," Alice said slowly and I could hear the smile that was on her face in her tone of voice. "When I volunteered to help Charlie get your room ready, he gave me free reign and when I saw the color of your comforter I just ran with it."

"It's perfect, Alice, really," I said as I looked around the room. "Better than I imagined actually."

"Good, I'm glad," she said as she let go of my arm and allowed me to step further into the room.

The walls were a pale yellow that nearly matched the yellow in my checkered yellow and white comforter that was spread out across my double bed, and sheer white curtains hung on the large window that looked out into the surprisingly big back yard and the trees that lined it. Alice had even found the string of white lights that I had packed away and put them exactly where I had put them back in my old room, running along the footboard of my bed.

My pine furniture fit much better in the slightly bigger room than it had in my old room, and they had even managed to put my bookcase in my room, which we had had to put in the living room since it didn't fit in the room, and it was filled with all of my books and a few of my mother's that I had elected to keep. My writing desk was resting on the wall by the window and already had my desk lamp and pencil holder neatly in place. Almost everything in the room was mine, except for the crystal lamps that rested on my nightstands, the curtains, and the fluffy white area rug that covered the floor

"Thanks," I said as I finally looked back at Alice and she just smiled at me once more.

"You're welcome, and I was happy to do it. I'm certain we're going to be good friends," she said and for some strange reason, I actually believed her when she said it.

* * *

I woke up as the sun was breaking over the horizon the next morning and since it was relatively impossible for me to go back to sleep once I woke up, I decided to go for a run. After making my bed and checking the weather outside by opening my bedroom window, I set to getting ready for my morning jog.

It was a bit more than chilly out, so, after throwing my slightly frizzy hair up into a messy bun on the back of my head, I tugged on a pair of black cotton sweats, a black sports bra, a white razor back tank top, and a dark pink thermal shirt that I wore when running in cooler weather. With that done, I pulled on a pair of ankle socks and my running shoes before I quietly made my way downstairs. I wrote a note for Charlie in case I didn't make it back home before he woke up and went to the station for his shift that morning. I didn't want him to worry if he checked in on me and found my room empty.

I sighed quietly as I stood in the foyer and stretched out my legs and back. I needed to start exercising again and it had been almost a full week since my last intense workout. I was starting to feel lazy, and since it was pretty obvious that Forks didn't have a decent gym with any sort of cardio classes I was going to have to breakout my workout DVDs that I hadn't used since I started taking classes at the gym. I could maybe even see if Bella or Alice wanted to join me in working up a sweat since I'd gotten used to working out in groups. However, I doubted they would because neither girl really struck me as the kind that worked out a whole lot.

Mom had been a bit of a health nut and sad to say it rubbed off a bit on me. I actually _loved_ to exercise, which makes me a freak of nature I know, but unlike Mom I found it very hard to stick to the vegetarian diet she preferred. I ate meat, lean proteins mostly, but I ate red meat and the mystery meat that was hot dogs on rare occasion. For the most part my diet was healthy, but pizza, ice cream, and just about anything made with and/or out of chocolate was a serious weakness of mine. It was terrible really, but I would not apologize for loving food. I just ate my weaknesses in moderation. That was the one thing Mom drilled into my head. 'Everything in moderation' and I stuck to that rule with an iron fist.

With my ear buds to my iPod, which was in a band around my upper left arm, in my ears and my running playlist blasting away, I left the house and locked the door behind me with the key that Charlie had given me. Tucking it into the lone pocket on the back of my sweats, I ran down the porch steps, across the yard, and along the side of the road at a steady pace, my hair bouncing around the back of my head as I went. The sun was up a little more, and the sky was filled with beautiful shades of pink, gold, and purple; and I had to admit it was a really sight to see. I mean, I had seen beautiful sunrises and sunsets before, but there was something different about that one that just seemed a little more special.

I really couldn't remember the last time that I actually ran outside. I usually just used the track at the gym or ran on one of the treadmills, but as my feet hit the pavement below I found that I preferred running outdoors, especially since the scenery around Forks was so nice. I didn't know my way around town just yet, but I figured if I just kept going straight on the main road and then turned right back around at the hallway point, I wouldn't get lost. It sounded like a genius plan, but what I failed to consider was the distance I was running.

I'd forgotten my counter in my room and I usually ran about six miles every day, which on average took me forty-five minutes. However, it wasn't until my playlist started replaying itself that I realized I'd gone much farther than I usually did because I had about two hours worth of music in that playlist. I'd been so into my head, singing along with the songs playing in my ears as I ran, that I hadn't paid attention to how far I was going or much of anything else around me, and now I was in the middle of basically nowhere with no phone to call Charlie and not a single building or soul around to ask for help.

"Damn it," I said breathlessly as I hit the 'stop' button on my iPod and pulled the ear buds from my ears. I looked around as I panted heavily and ignored the severe burning of my thighs and calves and the sweat that I had running down the back of my neck, my forehead, and pretty much the rest of my body. The sun was much higher now, but it was obscured by the light gray clouds that had moved in during my jog, so, I really had no idea of the time. I'd undoubtedly gone much further than I intended, likely double my usual round trip distance, and it was going to be a bitch to get back home considering my legs felt like jelly and my muscles were actually shaking as I stood there trying to catch my breath. Deciding it would be better to just start walking home I turned around and started doing just that.

I kept a hold of my ear buds in my left hand as I walked, hoping to hear the sound of a car approaching, but other than birds chirping and the rustling of the trees and grass in the wind it was silent around me. My quads, hamstrings, and calves continued trembling as I walked and I knew the second my body started to cool down completely that my legs were going to be cramping big time or give out on me all together, and that was not something I was looking forward to.

"Hey," a low tenor voice said behind me, bringing me to a stop before I turned around to see a young man standing about thirty feet away from me. He wasn't wearing a shirt, nor was he wearing any shoes; the only thing he was wearing was a pair of jean cut offs that went slightly below his knees and hung dangerously low on his hips. I could feel my already flushed face heat up a bit more as I looked at him. I had _never_ seen a guy, at least in person, as put together quite like the guy in front of me was, and that was saying something considering the bodies of many of the men that lived in southern California.

He was very tall, I could tell that even from the distance between us, and seriously muscular. I was pretty sure there was not an ounce of fat on the guy's body, and his russet skin looked smooth and flawless. His ink black hair was short, but still stuck up in various directions on the top of his head, and he was _very_ cute. It was obvious that he was from the Native American reservation that was on the west side of Forks and went up and down the coast that Charlie had told me about at dinner yesterday, and I wondered what he was doing out there with nothing but a pair of jean shorts on.

"Um, hi," I said lightly.

"Are you lost?" he asked and I shook my head negatively.

"No," I said as I tucked a few loose tendrils of hair behind my right ear. "I just ran a lot further than I intended to this morning." He tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at me.

"Have we met before?" he asked and once again I shook my head negatively. "Are you sure? You seem familiar."

"I just moved to Forks yesterday," I said. "I live with Police Chief Swan." I wasn't sure why I threw that out there, but I guess I wanted the mystery guy to know that if I were go to missing, someone would notice.

"You live with Charlie and Bella?" he asked, his dark eyebrows rising as he looked at me with surprise clearly lighting up his face and I nodded.

"You know them?" I asked and the guy nodded as he started to walk closer to me.

"Charlie and my dad are best friends and Bella and I . . . ," he trailed off when he got within five feet of me and came to a stop. His brown eyes met my blue and his mouth fell open slightly as he stared at me, eyes never wavering from mine. I really couldn't describe the look on his face as he looked at me; shock, awe, surprise, amazement, disbelief, adoration; it was a combination of all of them and more, and I felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Bella and you?" I prompted when he didn't say anything else to try and get him to quit staring at me, and he quickly closed his mouth, cleared his throat, and licked his lips.

"Bella and I are friends," he said quietly, his eyes remaining on my face as he spoke. It was then that I realized who this guy was and I instantly relaxed.

"You must be Jacob Black," I said and the smile that lit up his face at those five simple words was almost blinding as he nodded slightly. A small part of me melted at the sight of his smile because I was sure I had never seen a more beautiful smile than the one Jacob was giving me at that moment, and I couldn't help but blush.

Charlie had told me about Jacob and his dad, Billy. I had thought that Jacob was only six months older than me, but he certainly didn't look it. He looked more like he was six _years_ older given his size, but I doubted that Charlie would lie about Jacob's age. It would make no sense for him to do that, and if Jacob and Bella were friends it would also make more sense for him to be close to her in age.

"That's me," he said and I returned his smile with one of my own.

"It's nice to meet you, Jacob," I said. "I'm Aurora Bishop."

"Aurora," he said softly, more to himself and almost as if he was testing out saying my name, and I had to admit that I liked the way it sounded coming from him. "Are your parents friends with Charlie or something?"

"My mom was Charlie's first cousin," I said and Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know Charlie had any family aside from Bella," Jacob said and I smiled sadly at him as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Up until three weeks ago, Charlie didn't know about me and I didn't know about him," I said and Jacob blinked. "My mom and him weren't exactly close."

"Are you staying with Charlie for the summer or something?" he asked and I shook my head negatively.

"Charlie has taken on the role of my legal guardian," I said. "My mom passed away in October." His face took on a sad expression, but there was not one trace of pity on his face. He seemed more concerned than anything else.

"I'm sorry," he said and gave him another sad smile.

"Don't be," I said as I shook my head. "You didn't know."

"Still," he said, but I just waved my hand.

"It's all good, seriously, Jacob," I said and he nodded before he scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I should start heading back. It's going to take me a while to get home and the sooner I get back the better. I don't want my legs to give out halfway there."

"I can give you a ride," he said quickly as he took another step towards me. "I mean, my house is less than a mile down the road, and my car's got plenty of gas," he said as he gestured over his shoulder, the action making me smile. Walking the mile to Jacob's house sounded a hell of a lot more appealing than walking the twelve that I had to walk to get back home.

"If it's not too much trouble," I said and he smiled.

"It's no trouble at all. I wouldn't have offered if it was," he said and I laughed lightly before I walked, with shaky legs, over to where he stood. He fell in line beside me and started to lead the way down the road.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you liked the first chapter, and I hope you like this one as well. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_.

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**Chapter Two**

"You're really tall," Jacob said after a beat of silence between the two of us and I laughed as I turned my head and looked up at him.

"Says the seven foot giant," I said, earning a grin from Jacob as he shook his head.

"I'm not seven feet tall," he said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? How tall are you then?" I asked a curious tone to my voice, and I swore I saw his russet cheeks tint pink as he glanced away from me.

"Six-seven," he said and I scoffed.

"Close enough," I said and he chuckled.

"How tall are _you_?" he asked as he gently bumped my upper right arm with his elbow. The brief contact sent goose bumps racing across my body.

"I'm five feet ten and a half inches," I said with a chuckle and he nodded.

"So, uh, how old are you?" he asked softly.

"Sixteen," I said. "My birthday is coming up in a couple of months, so, I'll be seventeen pretty soon."

"When's your birthday?" he asked, a small smile on his lips.

"July 18," I said and he nodded. We were quiet for a little while before I finally asked him a question about something that had been slightly bothering me since I first saw him. "Um, Jacob, do you always walk around without any shoes on?" I asked and he chuckled nervously as he tucked his hands into the front pockets of his cut offs as we walked.

"Not all the time," he said. "I usually only go without shoes when I go for a run in the woods because it saves me from having to clean mud out of my sneakers all night long."

"So, you were running in the woods when you spotted me walking along the road?" I asked with a small frown and he nodded. The fact that he was running in the _woods_ was odd to me but the rough terrain was undoubtedly more challenging, and given Jacob's physique he probably did stuff that was more than even I could handle.

"You looked lost, so, I thought I'd pop out and see if I could help," he said before he looked down at me and smiled. "I'm glad I did." The warmth in his eyes as he looked down at me and the gentleness of his voice made my already jelly like legs feel like they turned to mush as I felt my face heat once more before I looked away from him. I swear I usually was not one for blushing, but it was starting to feel like it was going to be commonplace around Jacob. I had no idea why, but the guy sent my heart racing and my stomach flipping. "Aurora?" he asked and I looked up at him after a slight pause.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Where did you live before you moved to Forks to live with Charlie?" he asked.

"San Diego."

"I guess the weather around here isn't what you're used to, huh? You're probably used to sunshine and heat. The cold and rain is going to take a bit of getting used to," he said and I laughed lightly as I shrugged my shoulders when I caught sight of his grin.

"The fact that it's a small town is the only thing that'll take some getting used to. I grew up in Buffalo, New York; so, this kind of weather is something I've lived in before. I didn't move to San Diego until I was thirteen," I said and he nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. "What is it?" I asked when he was silent for a beat and he looked at me.

"Do you like small towns or are you planning on getting out of here as soon as possible?" he asked and while I found the question odd, I answered him honestly.

"I've got nothing against small towns," I said slowly, "and Charlie and Bella have made me feel more than at home. I haven't really seen much of anything that Forks has to offer yet, but what I have seen I like so far."

"So, you're going to stick around?" he asked and I laughed lightly as I nodded.

"Of course I am, but I don't know if it's going to be for forever."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his frown back and I suddenly felt the need to get him to smile again.

"Well, I want to go to college," I said. "I just don't know if I want to go to a four year university, business school, community college, or even culinary school."

"Culinary school?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and I laughed quietly as I shrugged.

"I _love_ food and I like to cook, so, why not?" I asked and the smile that made its way across his lips made me blush and look away from him. "I haven't made up my mind about what I want to do yet, but I've still got time to decide."

"I'm sure whatever you decide to do, you'll be great at it," he said and I smiled at him before I shook my head.

"What about you? Do you know what kind of college you what to go to or what you want to study?" I asked and he shook his head.

"I'm not going to be going to college anytime soon," he said and I frowned.

"What do you mean?" I asked and he sighed softly.

"It's a really complicated and long story, but I'll tell you someday," he said as he looked down at me.

"Who says that after today we'll even see each other again?" I asked, teasingly of course because I most definitely wanted to see Jacob again, and Jacob laughed loudly, the sound making butterflies erupt in my stomach for the umpteenth time since I met him.

"Trust me, Rory, we'll be seeing each other a lot after today," he said, his dark eyes serious as he looked at me with yet another blinding smile on his face.

"Whatever you say, Jacob," I said and he chuckled before he looked a head. "Did you just call me Rory?" I asked after a beat with a slight frown and he glanced at me.

"Yeah," he said. "That okay?"

"Sure," I said a smile coming to my lips as I looked at him. "It's fine." Growing up, I had only ever been called Aurora, no one had ever given me a nickname before, not even Mom; and honestly, I kind of liked that Jacob was the first to do so.

"Good," he said with another smile before we walked in a comfortable silence for a little while until my legs seemed decide that they had had enough for one day and gave out as I walked. I closed my eyes as I let out a short squeak of a scream, totally expecting to eat pavement, but I didn't. Instead, I found myself wrapped up in Jacob's arms and pressed securely to his very warm and very bare chest as my hands gripped onto his large biceps, my nails slightly pressing into his skin, while my legs shook underneath me. "Whoa, Rory, are you okay?" he asked, sounding breathless, and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said quietly as I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "Thanks for catching me," I said, my voice a little louder, and he grinned as he looked back at me.

"Anytime," he said with nothing but sincerity in his eyes and a small lump formed in my throat. "What happened?"

"I think my legs are angry at me for pushing them too hard today," I said after I cleared my throat and Jacob looked concerned as his brown eyes held my blue once more. "I'm okay, really, they just sort of gave out."

I started to pull away from him, however, the second Jacob took his hands off of my waist so I could stand on my own I started to sway and Jacob was quick to hold on to me once again. His hands settled on my upper waist, the warmth of them easily seeping through my layers of clothing and causing my heart to race.

"_Get a grip, Aurora, he's just making sure you don't fall over. Nothing more,"_ I thought to myself before I let out a soft sigh. "How about I just wait here while you go and get your car?" I suggested with a burning face as I started at the dip of Jacob's left collar bone, too embarrassed to look him in the face just then and not brave enough to openly ogle his chest.

"We're almost there, maybe ten minutes tops," Jacob said. "Why don't I just carry you?" he asked and that question drew my eyes up to his in mild surprise.

"Huh?" I asked and he smiled at me.

"I'm not going to let you sit on the side of the road until I can get to my place and get my car, Rory," he said. "I'll carry you the rest of the way."

"Jacob, I may be in shape and the right weight for my height, but that's one hundred and fifty pounds. I'm not exactly light," I said. "You're not carrying me the rest of the way to your house. I'll break your back." Jacob rolled his eyes and shook his head before suddenly I found myself scooped up into his arms and pressed tightly against his insanely warm body. I let out another squeak as I wrapped my hands around his neck in surprise and tried not to think about how solid his body felt against mine, while Jacob just smiled at my startled expression.

"Light as a feather," he said before she started walking like he didn't have a care in the world and wasn't carrying anything in his arms.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" I asked with a smile as I lowered my left hand to rest in my lap while my right arm remained wrapped around his strong shoulders.

"It's been said," he said with a grin and I laughed and shook my head. It was then that I became very conscious of the fact that my sweaty and undoubtedly very smelly body was right under Jacob's nose; and I swear I blushed from the top of my head to the tips of my toes I sat there cradled in his arms. "What's wrong?" he asked with a furrowed brow after I quickly unwrapped my arm from around his shoulders to awkwardly set it in my lap with my other hand.

"Nothing," I said.

"You know I don't believe you," he said and I sighed as I returned my face to his as he came to a stop. "What is it?"

"I ran, what, twelve miles?" I asked and he smirked.

"Fourteen actually," he said and I blinked at him for a second before I shook my head and sighed quietly.

"Right," I said. "I can only imagine that I don't exactly smell like daisies right now." I knew I could have just lied to Jacob and I could have said something that was definitely less embarrassing, but I didn't want to lie to Jacob. He chuckled at my confession and shook his head before he resumed walking down the road.

"Don't worry, Rory, you smell fine," he said.

"You're just saying that to spare my feelings," I said, my cheeks still red and he shook his head.

"No, I'm telling you the truth," he said. "Sure, you smell a little sweaty but other than that all I can smell is . . . cookies actually. Why do you smell like cookies?" he asked with a slight frown and I laughed at the curious and slightly confused tone of his voice as I once again wrapped my right arm around his shoulder. He smiled then, and I wasn't sure what had made him smile but I liked the small ghost of a smile that was on his lips just as much as I liked his blinding smile.

"It's probably my body wash and lotion. They're a vanilla and brown sugar scent," I said, shrugging my left shoulder.

"I like it," he said as he glanced at me and my face flamed once again.

"Thanks. I do too," I said quietly and he winked at me as he walked along, smiling. We were silent the rest of the way, but it was once again a comfortable silence.

It was probably crazy for me to completely trust a guy I had literally met on the side of the road not even an hour ago, but with all the information Charlie had thrown at me last night at dinner, I felt like I already knew Jacob. Same went for his dad, Billy, a woman named Sue Clearwater, all of the Cullens (which was primarily thanks to Alice who had stayed for dinner with us but barely ate anything), and just about everyone else in town that I was bound to meet at one point or another.

I knew I could trust Jacob, which was why I allowed myself to be so at ease with him and I had a feeling I had made yet another friend in the Forks area to add to the very short list I had already started. However, Jacob was different than Alice and Bella. Hell, it felt like Jacob was different from anyone, guy or girl, I have ever known and the fact that he kept glancing down at me just about every thirty seconds or so as he walked, continued to keep my heart racing.

I didn't have much experience with guys. Over the last year and half I'd been on a few dates with a couple of guys from school, but none of them had turned into anything serious. I was taller than a good majority of the guys that I was interested in back in San Diego, and despite the fact that I was 'popular' most of them were too embarrassed to date a girl that was an inch or two taller than them. Sure, a few of the guys on the football team and basketball teams were interested in me, but they were only interested in _one_ thing and that was something they were never going to get from me; so, I stayed as far away from those types of guys as I could. Plus, I knew I wasn't exactly the prettiest girl around.

I mean, I had nice eyes, a not too big not too small nose, a clear complexion, and a decent smile thanks to three years of braces, but I wasn't a stunning beauty; and I figured I had to be reading the signals Jacob was sending me all wrong. There was no way that a guy that looked like Jacob would be the least bit interested in me. Okay, so, we both seemed to be into fitness, but that was probably where our common ground ended. He seemed like he had his stuff together while I was a mess.

From the outside, it looked like I had moved on from losing my mom and everything, and I did my best to get people to believe that. I put on a smile and for the most part acted like I didn't have a care in the world anymore. I didn't want anyone to worry about me or feel sorry for me because I didn't want or really need anyone's pity. It was bad enough that when I went to bed at night, all I could think about was Mom and how much I missed her. I didn't need everyone to remind me that Mom wasn't here anymore added on top of that because I would turn into a sobbing mess like I had been for two weeks after everything that happened.

I mentally shook the thoughts from my head and glanced at Jacob's face only to have him look down at me at the exact same time. I blushed but smiled at him and he easily returned my smile before I turned my eyes away from his face and at the road ahead. However, I could feel that his eyes were still on me and oddly enough I wasn't the least bit uncomfortable. I was starting to wonder if I was losing my mind because of how at ease and comfortable I felt with Jacob, but I was in no real mood to question it because I liked it. For the first time in months the smile that was on my face wasn't the least bit forced and I actually felt oddly _happy._

As we rounded a bend in the road, a small red house came into view and I smiled once again at the sight. The house had obviously seen better days, but it was cared for and the weathered garage resting a little ways from the house was in pretty much the same condition. A truck was parked out front along with a small red car, and I assumed that Jacob's vehicle was the truck because it honestly didn't look like he would fit in the red one.

"Is it okay if we go inside so I can wash up and get some shoes on?" Jacob asked and I looked at him with a nod.

"Of course," I said. "Are you going to grab a shirt too?" I asked without really thinking and Jacob chuckled as we drew close to the house. "I mean . . . not that it's . . . I was just . . . never mind."

"I'll grab a shirt too," he said with a grin as he walked up the ramp that led to the front door of his house. "I wouldn't want my muscles to distract you any more than they already have been." His grin was almost wolfish at that comment and while I rolled my eyes and scoffed, my blush was impossible to fight off. He was teasing me of course, but I guess I hadn't been as subtle as I thought I had been as I looked him over and thought about how nice it felt to be in his arms like I was.

"I haven't been distracted," I said, my face still warm as I looked up at him face. He just chuckled before he shook his head at me.

"Sure, sure," he said through his grin and my blush only deepened as he came to a stop in front of the door. I had expected him to put me down so he could open the door, but Jacob only leaned down slightly and managed to get the door open with very little effort before he walked inside with me still in his arms. He kicked the door shut and it slammed behind us, making me jump a bit in his arms. "Sorry," he said quietly as his grip tightened on me and I shook my head as I smiled at him.

"No worries," I said as he walked further into the house and into what was a small kitchen that opened up into the living room.

"Jacob is that you?" came a voice from the other room and I realized that his dad must have been home.

"Yeah, Dad, it's me," Jacob said as he remained where he stood.

"You can put me down, you know. I think I'm okay to walk now," I said quickly and quietly as I heard his dad shuffling about.

"I'd rather not chance it, Rory," he said before he started walking me over to the sofa. However, before he could take two steps an older man in a wheelchair with long slightly graying black hair, who I assumed was Billy, wheeled his way from one of the rooms just off the living room as Jacob stood there holding me in the kitchen. His eyes widened upon seeing me in Jacob's arms before he looked at his son.

"Are we taking in strays?" Billy asked with a good-natured grin and I blushed while Jacob chuckled and continued on into the living room and over to the sofa where he gingerly sat me down. I smiled at Jacob in thanks and he winked at me as he stood up straight, leaving me blushing as he looked at his father. I was finding this whole blushing thing to be rather annoying, but it was almost like my body had a mind of its own when it came to its reactions to Jacob and in all honesty it was kind of freaky.

"Dad, this is Charlie's cousin, Aurora; Rory, this is my dad, Billy," Jacob said as the man wheeled over to where I sat and I smiled at him. "She was out for a run this morning and went farther than she meant to," Jacob said when Billy looked at him once more. "I offered to give her a ride home since she was closer to our place." Billy nodded and looked at me with a smile.

"Hi, Mr. Black," I said and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"Billy is fine with me, Aurora," Billy said and I nodded. "Charlie's told me all about you, and it's nice to finally meet you."

"He did?" Jacob asked and both Billy and I looked at him. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"You haven't been exactly agreeable and open to conversation lately, Jake," Billy said and I swore Jacob's russet cheeks tinted pink as he glanced at me and then looked back at his dad.

"Right, sorry about that, Dad. It'll be different from now on," he said and I looked at Billy just in time to see the man mask the surprise that had settled on his face. He looked at me and then at Jacob. I couldn't help but look at Jacob, who I saw subtly nod as he grinned. I was even more confused when I turned my eyes to Billy and saw the older man smile almost as brightly as Jacob had when I said his name for the first time.

"That's good to hear," Billy said as he looked up at Jacob and then turned his smiling face at me. Just like with Jacob, I found it impossible not to return Billy's smile. The man looked so happy, like 'I just won a hundred million dollars in the lottery' kind of happy, and I hadn't the slightest idea why.

"I'm going to go clean up so I can take Rory home," Jacob said and I looked up at him from where I was perched on his sofa. He looked at me, his grin still in place. "You going to be okay here?" he asked and I nodded my head as I tightened my ponytail. His grin grew into a smile before he nodded his head slightly and disappeared down a hallway.

"Well, Aurora, you look like you could use a glass of water," Billy said and it was then that I realized just how thirsty I was.

"That would be great actually," I said as I made to stand, but Billy held up his hands.

"Stay where you are, dear, I'm more than capable of getting it for you," he said with a good natured smile. He chuckled lightly before he wheeled himself into the kitchen and I smiled to myself when Billy set to getting me a glass of water. I took a deep breath and looked around.

There really wasn't much to the house, but it was tidy. However, it lacked any real feminine touches, which reminded me that during dinner the night before Charlie hadn't mentioned Jacob's mom/Billy's wife and at the time I hadn't questioned it; but as I sat there I couldn't help but wonder about it. Had Jacob's parents divorced and Billy had maintained custody of Jacob or had Jacob's mother never been around or even worse, had Jacob been through the same thing I had. To get my thoughts away from that terrible thought, I was looking at the woven tapestry hanging above the TV when Billy made his way back out into the living room.

"Here you go," he said and I smiled at him as I took the clear glass that was filled with cool water

"Thank you, Billy," I said before promptly downing the tall glass in one go, making me man chuckle. I laughed lightly as I raised the back of my empty hand to my mouth and smiled, my cheeks tinting pink as I lowered it.

"Would you like another one?" he asked and I laughed lightly once more.

"Please?" I asked and he chuckled yet again before he took the glass from my hand and went back into the kitchen. "I guess that's what I get for running more than twice my usual distance," I said as he went over to the sink and he sent me a grin as he turned on the tap.

"How far do you usually run?" he asked.

"Six miles," I said and he looked at me as he turned off the water, full glass in hand.

"Do you play any sports in school?" he asked curiously as he put the glass between his knees and made his way back over to me.

"I was on the dance team at my old school, but nothing else," I said as I smiled at Billy in thanks as he handed the glass over. I took a much smaller sip and sighed softly as the water made its way down my throat. "I knew a couple of girls on the girls' basketball team and they always tried to get me to try out, practically begging, but I'm not a very big basketball fan, so, I really don't want to play the game."

"Why would they beg you to try out?" Billy asked with a slight frown and it was then that I remembered Billy hadn't seen me standing. I'd been in Jacob's arms when he first met me and I've been sitting down ever since. I knew my legs were long, but I knew next to Jacob I probably looked average in height.

"I'm almost six feet tall," I said and Billy blinked at me before he smiled.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded as I sat my half empty glass on the coffee table. My height was one of my main insecurities because it was all people mentioned when they first met me. Just like Jacob had, but I hadn't really minded it all that much when Jacob brought up my height; and that was probably because Jacob was freakishly tall and didn't make me feel like a giant.

"Jacob's the first person I've ever met since I was twelve that actually makes me feel short. I might get a complex or something if I'm around him too much," I said and Billy laughed loudly as he tilted his head back slightly, and once again I couldn't help but smile.

"What's so funny?" came Jacob's voice and I turned my head towards the sound. I stifled a quiet gasp when my eyes landed on him and I blushed all the more. He had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a burgundy t-shirt, and on his feet were a pair of slightly scuffed black boots. I had no clue why I was blushing or why my heart was suddenly racing like I had just finished running, but when Jacob shot me a small grin my blush deepened and my heart raced all the more. I knew then that I was in _serious _trouble because I'd known Jacob for an hour and I was pretty sure I was already crushing on him.

"Nothing," Billy said, his voice bringing me from my thoughts, and I quickly averted my eyes from Jacob and looked to Billy. "Aurora and I were just chatting," he said as he smiled at me. I smiled at him once more before I turned my eyes to Jacob who chuckled before he pulled a set of keys out of the pocket of his jeans.

"Ready?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said quietly before I stood up yet again, wincing slightly as I did so.

"You okay?" Jacob asked as he took a step towards me and I held up my hands, a light chuckle escaping my lips.

"I'm fine," I said, "and you're not carrying me out to the car." I pointed at him and Jacob sighed, but nodded while I lowered my hands and looked at Billy. "It was nice to meet you, Billy, and thank you for the water."

"It was nice to meet you too, Aurora, and you're welcome. Feel free to come on by any time," he said warmly and I smiled at him one last time before I followed Jacob outside. We walked in silence over to the smaller red car, and my smile made yet another return.

"Do you even fit in that thing?" I asked and Jacob chuckled as he looked down at me and I looked up at him.

"It's a little tight, but I fit," he said, still smiling at me.

"Really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical grin.

"If you don't believe me, we could take my bike," he said and my grin fell.

"Bike as in motorcycle?" I asked him, both eyebrows raised and he nodded, his smile morphing into a grin of his own. I shook my head quickly. "No thanks."

"I'll get you on it one day," he said, his expression completely serious, and I laughed lightly as I followed Jacob to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for me and looked at me expectantly.

"Yeah, good luck with that," I said as I looked up at him and his grin returned.

"You'll see," he said as he opened my door for me and the two of us just looked at each other for a beat before I smiled at him in and quickly climbed into the car, my heart once again racing. Like I had thought before, there was something about Jacob that was different yet special and I hadn't the slightest clue what it was. I watched him walk around the front of the car with a smile on his face and I knew then that I really did want to get to know him better; and judging by the way he acted around me I had a feeling that he'd be more than open to letting me do just that.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. Like I said before, I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. Okay, so, I normally don't update everyday, but I finished this chapter when I got home from work today and thought I'd post it. I hope you like it, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_.

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**Chapter Three**

During the drive from La Push to Forks, Jacob and I chatted a bit more about nothing really in particular until he parked his little red car in front of Charlie's house. I didn't want to leave Jacob just yet and my mouth got away from me before I could even really think about what I was about to say.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked. "I could make you lunch or something as a thank you." Jacob smiled sadly at me then before he sighed quietly and shook his head.

"As much as I'd love to, Rory, I can't," he said. "I've got somewhere I've got to be, so, I really should get going."

"Oh, okay," I said with a forced smile before I unbuckled my seatbelt with a quiet sigh. "Well, I guess I'll see you around then." I grabbed the door handle as I looked away from him, but his voice stopped me.

"I'll call you later tonight," he said and I looked at him. "Maybe we can hang out tomorrow after you get home from school or something." I blinked at him in surprise and Jacob smiled at me then before he chuckled. "I wasn't kidding when I said we'd be seeing a lot of each other, Rory."

"Okay," I said slowly. "I'm assuming you have the house number." He continued to smile as he nodded and I laughed under my breath as I returned his smile. "Then, I'll talk to you tonight."

"Count on it," he said and then I did something that I was pretty sure not only surprised Jacob, but me as well. I leaned over across the small distance that had separated us in his car and placed a ghost of a kiss on his cheek.

"Bye Jacob," I whispered before I opened the car door. However, before I could climb out Jacob caught my left wrist in his right hand.

"Hold on a second, Rory," he said quickly and I turned my eyes to look at him. At first, I thought that his tense jaw and the slightly angry look on his face was the result of me kissing his cheek, but his eyes were trained on the house. Barely a second later, his dark eyes settled with mine and while his jaw was still tense the anger left his eyes as the corner of his lips turned up in a tentative smile. "You know what, I'd love to have lunch with you."

"Really?" I asked and he chuckled as his hand slipped from around my wrist to take hold of my hand in his.

"Yeah," he said.

"Are you sure? You said you had to be somewhere, and I don't -," I didn't get to finish because Jacob interrupted me.

"The guys will understand," he said and I tilted my head out of curiosity.

"Guys?" I asked as I tried to ignore the fact that he was making small circles on the top of my hand with in thumb. I don't think he even realized he was doing it, but it made my heart hammer hard against my ribcage and my stomach to do summersaults.

"My friends," he said before he smiled fully at me. "You'll meet them all pretty soon." I smiled at him in return, my eyes scanning his face before I nodded and reluctantly pulled my hand from his.

"Well, let's get inside and see what Charlie has in the fridge. I didn't eat breakfast this morning before I went for my run, and I'm pretty sure I could eat a bear right now I'm so hungry," I said earning a laugh from Jacob.

"Me too," he said and I chuckled with him before the two of us climbed out of his car. I waited for him to walk around his vehicle and join me before I started walking up towards the house. I pulled the house key from the pocket of my sweatpants, and unlocked the front door before I gestured for Jacob to go inside first and he smiled at me as he shook his head. "Isn't the rule 'ladies first?'" he asked and for a second I just looked at him before I felt my cheeks warm as I turned and went into the house only to see Alice and Bella standing at the base of the stairs.

"We've been worried about you," Alice said, her eyes flickering behind me before she feigned a smile, "but it looks like we didn't have to be." I raised an eyebrow when I heard the front door close behind me and felt the warmth that emanated off Jacob's body against my back. "Jacob," Alice said with a slight nod of her head and I could actually feel the tension between the two as Jacob shifted even closer to me. So much so that I could feel his warm breath on the top of my head and the back of my neck, which caused goose bumps to rise up and down my covered arms.

"Alice," Jacob said, his tone clearly indicating to me that these two did not get along in the least bit. Bella gave Jacob a 'be nice' look and I swore I heard Jacob growl softly under his breath before I felt Jacob's right hand settle on the lower part of my back as he moved so he was standing just to my left. I swallowed hard at the contact, but I wasn't about to move away from it any time soon. It was then that I noticed Bella's furrowed brow as she looked between Jacob and me, and for some reason I felt a little uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry I made you guys worry," I said quickly, trying to ease the tension in the air. "I ran farther than I intended to this morning and Jacob sort of rescued me by giving me a lift home. I offered to make him lunch as a thank you."

"That was generous of you," Alice said and I put on a smile before I looked at Bella.

"Is it okay if I raid the kitchen?" I asked. I wasn't sure why I asked since Charlie had told me last night that this was as much my home as it was his and Bella's and that I was welcome to anything, but since Bella was home I felt the need to ask.

"Of course it is," Bella said after she blinked at me and I smiled at her.

"Would you guys like me to fix you anything?" I asked as I looked between them and Bella shook her head.

"No thanks. I just ate," Bella said.

"Me too," Alice said and Jacob shuffled his feet, the movement causing Alice to look at him before she rolled her eyes.

"Okay," I said lightly before I looked up at Jacob. "Did you want to hang with Bella and Alice while I fix us something to eat?"

"Nah, I can give you a hand," he said as he finally lowered his hand from my lower back and I nodded my head.

"Okay," I said once more before I started leading the way into the kitchen.

"Wait, Jake, can I talk to you for a minute?" Bella asked as she reached out and grabbed Jacob's left forearm as he started to pass by her. I saw Jacob's entire body stiffen as he looked down at me and while I wasn't sure why I didn't like the fact that Bella was holding on to Jacob's arm I smiled at them before I continued on to the kitchen. However, I was not alone for long because Alice waltzed in behind me.

I smiled at her as I pulled my iPod band off my arm and sat it down on the kitchen counter before I pushed my sleeves up to my elbows. I thought I had heard the front door open and close, but I didn't really think that much of it as I wandered around the kitchen, checking the pantry, before I made my way over to the fridge.

"So, why don't you like Jacob?" I asked curiously as I pulled some ham, cheese, mustard, and a jar of pickles out of the fridge. Alice sighed quietly as she sat down at the table that rested in the kitchen and crossed her short skinny legs rather gracefully.

"I _like_ Jacob, but we just don't see eye to eye on a lot of things," she said. The way she said the word 'like' made me think of how my friend, Gia, back in San Diego would say that she liked her brother's girlfriend when it was well known that Gia hated the girl with a passion.

"Like what?" I asked curiously as I sat the items in my arms down on the counter and looked at her, which earned another sigh from Alice. I pulled the loaf of wheat bread from the breadbox and after washing my hands I set to fixing two sandwiches each for Jacob and I with a couple pickles on the side since we were both starving.

"Bella and Edward's relationship for one," Alice said and I looked at her.

"Bella is dating your brother?" I asked in surprise and Alice nodded. I nodded back at her in response before I returned my attention to the food in front of me. I was putting the last sandwich together and setting it down on the plate when Alice's next words took me by surprise.

"Jacob hates my brother because Bella chose Edward over him," she said.

"What?" I asked as I looked at Alice, hoping that I had just heard what she said wrong.

"He loves Bella and hates my brother because he thinks that Edward is the wrong guy for her," she said, her honey colored eyes rolling skyward. I looked away from Alice and at the plates of food in front of me, a small frowning settling on my lips.

"Oh," I said softly. "Bella and Jacob used to be a thing?"

"No, not really," Alice said and I looked at her once more. "Jacob was there for Bella when Edward broke up with her before our family moved away for a time. They became close and Jacob developed feelings for her. When we moved back, he wasn't very pleased with the fact that Bella went right back to Edward without any sort of hesitation."

"Right," I said softly as I looked away from her yet again. A painful ache settled in my chest when I realized that I had indeed read the signals Jacob was sending me all wrong. It was either that or Jacob was playing me, using me as an excuse to see Bella today, but Jacob didn't strike me as that kind of guy; so, I went with my first thought.

It made sense that I had seen only what I wanted to see when it came to Jacob's actions towards me this morning. He'd done nothing that was overly friendly and my brain had taken his kindness as something more because I thought he was good looking. It made total sense that Jacob was into girls like Bella. Bella was petite, sort of fragile, and beautiful. I had gotten my hopes up, and made a complete idiot of myself in the process by kissing Jacob's cheek back in the car. Mentally, shaking my head at my own stupidity, I cleaned up the small mess I had made before I put everything back in the fridge.

"Aurora?" Alice asked as I closed the fridge door and I looked at her to see her looking at me with concern etched across her pretty face. "Are you okay?" she asked and I nodded.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" I asked and she sighed before she stood and walked over to me, guilt written clearly across her face.

"I've upset you," she said and I shook my head as I looked down at her.

"Don't be ridiculous," I said with a nervous laugh and I knew by the look on her face she didn't believe me.

"I have, and I'm sorry," Alice said. "Sometimes my mouth gets away from me and I say things before thinking them through."

"Really, Alice, you didn't upset me," I said and she put a cold hand on my right forearm.

"Aurora, as of this morning everything's different. Jacob doesn't -," she started, but didn't get to finish.

"What's going on?" came Jacob's voice as he entered the kitchen. When my eyes landed on him the ache only grew tenfold, but it was an ache that I had become accustomed to over the last few months and it was easy to ignore. I plastered on a smile and shook my head as I looked at him.

"Alice and I were just talking while I fixed us a couple of sandwiches," I said as I watched Jacob frown as he caught sight of Alice's hand on my arm. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, his hands going into fists at his sides, and once again Alice rolled her eyes before she looked up at me.

"Since you're back and safe and sound, Aurora, Bella and I are going to go over to my place for a while," she said as she lowered her hand. "If you didn't have company, I'd invite you to come along. Maybe next time?" she asked and I nodded slightly as I forced a smile in her direction.

"Maybe," I said and I swore I heard a low growling noise again, but chalked it up to my imagination. Alice smiled at me and glided past Jacob before I once again heard the front door open and close. I turned around, not looking back at Jacob, and picked up the plates with slightly trembling hands before I finally looked at him and walked over to where he stood. He was looking down at me with concern, but I just continued to smile at him. "They're ham and cheese, with mustard," I said. "Is that okay?"

"That's perfect," he said as he took the plate that I was holding out to him. "Thank you," he said smiling slightly at me, his dark eyes warm and deep as he looked at me. I quickly averted my eyes from his face and looked down at the plate in my hands.

"You're welcome," I said. "Do you want to eat in here or in the living room?"

"Living room's good with me," he said, his voice sounding off, but right then I didn't have the courage to look at his face anymore.

"Okay," I said before I walked around him and down the short hall before I made my way into the living room. I sat down on the sofa, resting my plate on my sore legs, before I felt the couch sink slightly as Jacob sat down beside me. He had sat down right beside me, and not on the other end of the couch like I had expected him to. The heat of his body warmed my right side and I picked up one of my sandwiches as a way to distract myself. Five minutes ago, my heart would have been racing and excitement would have flooded me over the fact that Jacob was sitting so close, but now it felt almost wrong to be sitting so close to him.

"Rory, are you okay?" he asked quietly just as I bit into one of my sandwiches and I looked at him before I nodded. "Really? You seem a little . . . off."

"I'm fine," I said after I had swallowed the bite of food I had taken but he didn't look convinced.

"Did the le-," he stopped himself before he sighed and took a deep breath. "Did Alice say something to you or do something to upset you?" he asked.

"No," I said quietly even though that answer was about as far from the truth as possible right then. However, it wasn't Alice's fault that I had started crushing on a guy that I had just met and that would _never_ be interested in me because he was in love with someone else. He still didn't look convinced, so, I expanded on my answer. "I think jet lag and exhaustion from my run this morning is finally catching up with me," I said with a well practiced forced smile as I chuckled for good measure. I wasn't sure if he believed me, but Jacob smiled at me and nodded his head before he took a bite of his own sandwich. I watched him as he chewed for a beat before I looked away from him and at my food. I wasn't really all that hungry anymore, but like I'd done before I forced myself to eat.

Unlike earlier, the air around Jacob and I was no longer comfortable. It was oddly tense and thick, and I knew that it was all my fault that it was.

* * *

Jacob had left shortly after we ate, and when he left I had showered, changed my clothes, and spent the rest of the afternoon writing a mass e-mail to my friends back in California, telling them how much I already missed them. It took forever to write and even longer to send out since Charlie and Bella had to have the slowest internet connection known to man. I had tried to take a nap, but the image of Jacob's brown eyes and his smile kept me from getting any sort of rest. Instead, I grabbed a book from my bookcase and laid back down on my bed to read.

Thankfully, that had kept me occupied until Charlie got home around four, and since Bella was still at Alice's place I had offered to cook the two of us dinner. We had eaten in relative silence, before we cleaned up and retired into the living room to watch the six o'clock news together. The news had barely started when the phone started ringing and Charlie silently excused himself to get it. I smiled at him and remained in the living room listening to the woman reporter talk about a string of unsolved missing persons cases in Seattle. However, when I heard Charlie's response to the person on the other end of the line, my attention was no longer on the TV in front of me.

"Hey Jake," he said and my heart jumped to my throat. I had completely forgotten that Jacob had promised to call later tonight. I had assumed that after our awkward lunch that that would be the last I had heard from Jacob for a while. Apparently, I was wrong. "Bella's not home right . . . what?" he asked, sounding confused and I bit my lip because I realized I hadn't told Charlie about my little adventure from that morning. "All right, hold on a second." I looked to the doorway as Charlie reappeared, a small frown on his face. "Phone for you," he said as he gestured over his shoulder and I stood from the sofa before I quickly walked around it and over to where he stood. "I didn't know you ran into Jacob this morning."

"I met him when I was out for my run," I said as I slipped my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and met Charlie's curious gaze. "I went _way_ farther than I planned to and Jacob sort of rescued me by giving me a ride home otherwise I'm pretty sure I would still be walking," I said with a laugh and Charlie smiled before he patted my shoulder and continued on into the living room. I took a deep breath and slowly walked over to where the phone rested on the counter before I picked it up and brought it to my right ear. "Hello?" I asked, as I toyed with the cord on the phone and leaned my back against the wall behind me.

"Hey Rory," came Jacob's voice and goose bumps raced across my skin. I rolled my eyes at myself before I cleared my throat and plastered on a smile.

"Hey," I said back. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"That's good." I inwardly cringed at how awkward I sounded and Jacob's light chuckle on the other end of the line didn't help me any.

"I was thinking that I could pick you up from school tomorrow and maybe introduce you to a couple of my friends if you're up to it," he said and I closed my eyes. I truly wanted nothing more than to hang out with Jacob tomorrow, but I wasn't really sure if that was such a good idea.

"I don't know," I said softly as I opened my eyes and looked down at the linoleum floor at my feet.

"Okay, well, you don't have to meet my friends yet if you don't want to," he said quickly. "I can show you around Forks and La Push so you know your way around. I wouldn't want you getting lost again when you go on another run." I laughed despite myself and felt my cheeks warm.

"I wasn't lost this morning," I argued. "I knew how to get back home."

"Sure, sure," Jacob said with a light chuckle and I smiled. "What do you say? Do you want to hang out with me tomorrow?"

A very large part of me was screaming in my head to say 'okay,' while another, much quieter part, was urging me to decline because I was only setting myself up for heartbreak if I let myself get too close to Jacob. Even though Bella was in a relationship, he had feelings for her; feelings that probably weren't going to go away anytime soon, which was not good news for me. I already knew that I was attached to him more than I should have been because Jacob was the first person in the last eight months to make me actually believe that there was a chance for me to be genuinely happy again.

My friends had tried and failed, the counselor I had been forced to see tried and failed, and even my foster parents had tried and failed. Everyone had tried to help me and it wasn't until I started faking like everything was okay that everyone finallystarted letting up and stopped worrying about me so much. Things had been about as 'normal' as they were going to get and I was about as 'happy' as I was ever going to be until Jacob Black wandered into my life and in less than twelve hours made me feel alive again.

Now, I wasn't so sure if having Jacob in my life was such a good idea after all because I knew the small voice was right. It was very likely that I would end up getting _too_ attached to Jacob, he would figure it out, and then let me down as gently as he could because he would never feel the way I could easily see myself feeling for him; and in the end, I would only be worse off than I was now.

"Hello? Rory? Are you still there?" Jacob asked, snapping me from my thoughts and I felt my face warm once again.

"Yes, sorry, I'm here," I said quickly, earning a small laugh from Jacob and I couldn't help but smile.

"You got so quiet, I though I might have lost you or something," he said through his laugh and I couldn't help but chuckle lightly with him. "Are you going to answer my question?" he asked and I sighed softly before I closed my eyes tight and said the words that I knew I was going to regret for a very long time.

"I'm sorry, Jacob, I can't," I said before I quickly hung up the phone. I opened my eyes and briskly walked out of the kitchen, earning a curious look from Charlie before he frowned and sat up a little straighter.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I plastered on yet another smile as I shook my head.

"Nothing," I said lightly. "I know it's really early, but I think I'm going to call it a night. I've got a long day tomorrow and I should rest up for it."

"Aurora," Charlie said as I started to turn away from him. I stopped and looked at him once more only to see him standing in front of the sofa with a frown on his face. "Are you all right?" he asked again and I sighed heavily as I closed my eyes.

"You're the third person to ask me that today, Charlie," I said before I opened my eyes and looked at him, "and I really wish everyone would just stop asking me that. I'm fine." With that I turned on the balls of my feet and rushed up the stairs before I closed my bedroom. I took a deep breath as I rested my back against the door before I slid down the cool light colored wood and sat down on the floor, my back and head resting against the door.

I was undoubtedly being a little over dramatic but the ache that had returned that afternoon seemed ten times worse than it had earlier and I raised my right hand to rest over my chest as I fought against the tears that lined my eyes. I had no clue what was wrong with me. It made no sense to be this upset over a guy I didn't even know, but I felt like my world had just been shattered again and it wasn't going to be an easy recovery.

* * *

Even though I had told Charlie I was going to go to bed, I ended up reading some more before finally calling it a night a little after nine. However, I did not sleep well at all and was once again up before sunrise. I took my time showering and getting ready to face the day ahead, meaning I had slathered on about a pound of makeup (stuff I usually stayed away from) to hide the dark circles I had under my eyes that morning and the ashy tone my light olive complexion had taken on indicating that I hadn't slept well. Once I was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a loose cream colored sweater with a white camisole underneath, and black knee high flat soled boots, I threw my long curly hair up into a ponytail that swung from the back of my head like a pendulum as I moved around.

With my bag in hand I started making my way downstairs when I heard Bella shuffling about in her room and Charlie's alarm clock going off in his room downstairs. I sat my bag down by the door and went into the kitchen. I made a pot of coffee and got working on breakfast for Bella, Charlie, and me. I still didn't know where everything was yet, but after a brief rummage through the cupboards and the pantry I found what I was looking for. I was making one of my favorite 'comfort' foods my mom used to make for me when I was feeling down.

* * *

The bacon was already cooking away in the oven and I was just putting the finishing touches on the batter while the griddle pan heated up when Charlie made his way into the kitchen. He was already dressed in his uniform and when he stopped short upon seeing me, I had a feeling that he had thought it was Bella that was in the kitchen making all the noise. I threw him my best faux smile as I turned to the griddle and ladled some batter onto the hot pan.

"Morning, Charlie," I said. "I hope you like banana and chocolate chip pancakes. They're my favorite and when I saw you had everything I needed, I sort of went to town. I've also got bacon in the oven and coffee's ready if you want some."

"Uh, thanks," he said before he slowly walked over to the coffee pot and started fixing himself a cup of coffee. Out of the corner of my eye as I added a small handful of chocolate chips to the pancake on the griddle, I could see Charlie glancing at me with a confused expression on his face; and I really couldn't blame the man for being confused. Hell, they were my own emotions and they confused me. "Did you sleep well?" he asked slowly and I nodded even though I wasn't looking at him.

"Mhmm," I said before I flipped the pancake over and smiled triumphantly to myself when the perfect golden brown color of the cooked side was revealed. "Did you?" I asked as I finally turned my eyes to him and he nodded as he brought his cup up to his lips and took a small sip of the steaming black liquid in his cup.

"Yeah," he said and I smiled at him before I returned my attention to the other pancakes on the griddle. He walked over to the table and sat down, throwing me glances every now and then. Bella came into the kitchen a minute later and smiled uncertainly as she looked at me.

"Good morning," I said as I took the six pancakes off the griddle. "I made breakfast."

"Morning," she said as she walked over to the table with Charlie and poured herself a glass of orange juice from the carton I had put on the table along with the butter and syrup. I took the bacon out of the oven and fixed three pancakes on plates for Charlie and Bella before I added their portions of the cooked bacon to their plates and carried them over to the table, setting the plates down in front of them.

"I hope you like them," I said before I went back over to the griddle to make my own pancakes. A minute later I heard a soft sigh.

"These are great, Aurora," Charlie said and I smiled at him before I returned my attention back to my pancakes cooking away on the griddle.

The rest of breakfast went by in silence until Bella said that she'd do the dishes while I finished eating. I thanked her and continued eating my breakfast while Charlie stood from the table and fastened his gun belt around his hips. He told us both to have a good day and that he'd see us at four when he got off shift. When Charlie left, after he shrugged on his jacket, it was once again quiet in the house other than the sloshing of water as Bella washed the dishes in the sink and put them in the drying rack.

"When we get to school, I can show you where the office is so you can get everything you need," Bella said and I looked up from my almost empty plate. "Depending on where it is, I could maybe even walk you to your first class if you want."

"Thanks. That'd be great," I said and she nodded her head as she looked away from me and drained the sink. Just then the doorbell rang, making me jump a bit in my seat in surprise as I looked at Bella with a raised eyebrow.

"Edward's giving us a ride," she said with a small smile. "That's probably him."

"Oh, okay. I'm almost finished," I said. Bella nodded and left the kitchen to let Edward in while I quickly stuffed what was left of my breakfast in my mouth before I stood and hastily washed my plate, silverware, and glass. When I was finished, I washed my hands and was drying them on a hand towel when a throat clearing drew my attention towards the door.

"Aurora, this is my boyfriend, Edward; Edward, my cousin, Aurora," Bella said using pretty much the same words Jacob had when he introduced me to his dad. However, Edward looked nothing like Billy. He was tall, maybe three or four inches taller than me, but definitely shorter than Jacob with bronze hair and eyes that were the exact same golden color as Alice's. Just like his adopted sister he was extraordinarily beautiful and I couldn't help but wonder if their parents only adopted the cute kids from group homes or something. Edward smiled lightly as he looked at me before he nodded his head in my direction.

"It's nice to meet you, Aurora," Edward said, his voice low and smooth.

"You too," I said. I couldn't help but marvel at Bella's luck. She was dating a guy who looked like he walked off of some high fashion runway judging by the expensive designer clothes he was wearing, and she had another guy, who looked like he climbed out of an Abercrombie and Finch catalog, that was in love with her. It would be fair to say I was a little jealous, especially since I sort of had a crush on the latter of the two.

"We should get going so you have time to check in at the office," Bella said and I nodded.

"All right. I put my bag by the door," I said and the three of us left the kitchen.

* * *

When we got to school that morning, I had been expecting a few double takes in my direction throughout the day, but as I climbed out of the backseat of Edward's car I really didn't expect to be stared at. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and the hem of my sweater before I followed Edward and Bella towards the entrance of the school. Edward leaned towards Bella and said something to her quietly in her ear and she frowned as she looked at him. However, before I could ask her what I was wrong, I stopped short when one of the last people I had expected to see that morning was suddenly standing in front of me blocking my way.

"Jake, what are you doing here?" Bella asked, her tone not really all that surprised, as I saw her glance at me out of the corner of my eye. I was tempted to just walk around the disheveled looking boy and head into the building, but I was rooted to where I stood as I took in the dark circles under his brown eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept, and he was wearing the same clothes he had had on when he left the house yesterday only they were wrinkled and speckled with a bit of mud. Gone was the vibrant happy Jacob I had met only just yesterday, and in his place was a boy who looked broken and sad. The ache in my chest grew yet again, and all I wanted to do was make him smile.

"I need to talk to you," Jacob said, his voice rough, as he ignored Bella's question and looked straight at me.

"I have school," I said, my voice barely loudly than a whisper, and Jacob sighed as he shuffled closer to me.

"Please, Rory," he practically begged and as I was about to tell him that I was sorry and head inside when Edward's voice cut me off.

"Go, Aurora," he said and I tore my eyes from Jacob's to look at Edward in surprise. The other boy had a strange expression on his face as he looked at Jacob for a beat and then turned his eyes on me.

"I can't skip on my first day," I said as I shook my head slightly.

"We'll cover for you," Bella said and I looked at her. Her smile was once again uncertain and she looked almost torn as she nodded her head at me. "Go." I took a deep breath through my nose before I looked back at Jacob.

I'd never intentionally skipped school a day in my life before, not even when my friends tried to pressure me into ditching with them but as I looked into Jacob's dark brown eyes I found myself nodding in agreement. He looked relieved as he reached out and took my left hand into his right before he pulled me away from Bella and Edward. I stumbled slightly after him; having seemingly lost my usual dancer's grace the second Jacob touched me because my heart was once again beating erratically in my chest. He led me towards, of all things, his motorcycle and I nervously licked my lips as we came to a stop beside it.

"Seriously?" I asked when he let go of my hand and picked up a helmet from the seat. He gave me a small crooked smile before he put the helmet on my head and quickly fastened the straps, his warm fingers brushing against my cool skin. It was then that I noticed the ache in my chest had lessened considerably since first spotting Jacob despite the fact that my heart was still hammering away as it tried to escape the confines of my body.

"I told you I'd get you on it someday."

"Yeah, well, your someday came too soon," I said and he laughed as he climbed onto his bike and put up the kickstand before he looked at me expectantly. Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my bag once more and swung my right leg over the motorcycle. I quickly wrapped my arms around Jacob's waist, holding on tightly as he started up the bike. "Jacob, don't let me fall," I said quietly into his back, unsure if he even heard me over the noise the bike made, but when I felt his warm right hand cover mine I knew he heard me.

"I won't."


	4. Chapter 4

****Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I am really happy that everyone is enjoying this story so far. I hope you like this chapter as well. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight._

* * *

**Chapter Four**

I wasn't sure where Jacob was taking me, but I knew from the direction he went that we were going west and I assumed that he was taking me somewhere in La Push. Exactly where, however, I did not know. For the first half of our ride, I had kept my eyes closed out of fear as I pretty much clung to Jacob. However, Jacob drove with such ease and confidence that I had gathered my courage and opened my eyes.

There was nothing but trees around us and we passed by them with great speed. Of course, I still couldn't tell where we were because outside of 'downtown' Forks, everything looked the same to me because it was nothing but trees, mountains, and open spaces. Without really thinking of what I was doing, I rested my chin on Jacob's shoulder as I looked around and I could feel his body relax even more as I sat there pressed against his back.

We rounded a familiar bend and it was then that I realized where Jacob had taken me. His house came into view and while his red car was out front the truck that had been there yesterday was gone. He turned onto the gravel drive that led from the road to his house and he slowly brought his bike to a stop next to his car. He put his long legs down and settled his feet on the ground, balancing the bike, before he turned off the engine. I slid my arms from around him and with shaky legs I climbed off the bike.

Jacob smiled at me once I was standing and I gave him a small smile in return as I started to unfasten the helmet. He put the kickstand down and climbed off the bike just as I pulled the helmet off my head and vainly smoothed my free hand over the top of my head and fingered my hair to try and make sure that it wasn't sticking up all over the place. Without a word, Jacob took the helmet from me, sat it on the bike seat, and then held out his left hand to me. I put my right hand in his left and he was quick to lace his fingers with mine before he led me towards his house.

"Is Billy home?" I asked, breaking the silence that had settled between us since before Jacob had drove out of the Forks High School's parking lot. I had a feeling that Billy wasn't home since the truck was missing, but I had to ask. Jacob looked at me and shook his head negatively.

"Not right now," he said as we walked up the ramp and into the house. Jacob had yet to let go of my hand as he closed the door behind us and then walked me further into the house. My heart was once again hammering in my chest as we walked through the kitchen, the living room, and down a short hall into what I realized was Jacob's bedroom. Once we were in there, Jacob turned so he was facing me and his eyes locked with mine.

"What happened yesterday?" he asked and I frowned slightly at the question. "I know that the – Alice said something to you that upset you. I could tell, but I let it drop because I realized you didn't want to talk about it. What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything, Jacob," I said as I tried to pull my hand from his, but he tightened his hold slightly before he took half a step closer to me. There was now less than half a foot of space between us and once again the heat emanating from Jacob's body washed over me as my heart started racing. The expression on his face read anger, but looking into his eyes I knew that the anger on display there was not directed at me; and I could only assume that he was angry with Alice.

"I don't believe you," he said and I sighed quietly as I averted my eyes to stare at his chin since the intensity of his gaze made me feel uncomfortable. It was almost like he was looking into my very soul and his close proximity only magnified the feeling and was causing my stomach to do summersaults once again.

"Why does it matter what she said to me, Jacob?" I asked and he sighed quietly before he squeezed my hand, the angry expression on his face melting into a softer, indescribable expression as he looked down at me.

"Whatever she said to you is what led to you start pushing me away, and I want to know why. I thought we were becoming friends," he said and I sighed as I looked down at our entwined hands.

There was no way to tell Jacob what Alice had said to me without completely embarrassing myself in the process. I had let the fact that a guy I knew next to nothing about had feelings for another girl affect the blossoming friendship that we had started. It was sort of pathetic really, but it was what I did; and it was all because I just happened to like him more than I should have. And it was because I liked him that I knew that I had to tell him the truth. Even though I'd known him for barely a day, I knew that I wanted Jacob to play some role in my life and having him as a friend was better than not having him in my life at all. Plus, for whatever reason, Jacob wanted to be my friend as well and it was only fair to be honest with him.

"Rory?" he asked and I looked at him just as he opened his mouth to speak again, but I cut him off.

"You're in love with Bella," I said simply and he blinked at me.

"What?" he asked, his voice soft and filled with the surprise that was clearly written on his face.

"Alice told me that you're in love with Bella," I said before I laughed lightly and pulled my hand from his slackened grip. I tightened my ponytail and shrugged my shoulders as I turned away from him to look out his bedroom window, which looked out into dense trees that rested on the other side of his yard. "I wasn't exactly sure how to process it since she also told me that Bella's dating her brother, and that you hated him because she choose him over you. I guess I didn't want to make things awkward for you since Bella's my cousin," I said as I took my bag off and sat it down on the floor by my feet with a soft sigh. I threw in that last sentence to try and take away a bit of my embarrassment, but I doubt he believed it because my face was about as red as the outside of his house.

"I'm not in love with Bella," Jacob said after a few quiet beats and I frowned slightly as I turned my head to look over my left shoulder at him. He was looking at me with an expression on his face that I couldn't read very well. It was as if he was trying to say something to me without actually saying it, but whatever it was I just wasn't catching on.

"You're not?" I asked and he shook his head once.

"No."

"Then why would Alice say you loved her?" I asked as I turned to face him once again, that time with a little more distance between us than before.

"Probably because I do love Bella," he said as he once again closed the small distance between us until there was barely any left and I tilted my head back a bit to look him in the eyes, my frown only deepening at his confusing words.

"You just said-," I started but he interrupted with me.

"I love Bella like I love my older sisters or my friends," he said, "which means I'm not _in love_ with Bella. There's a difference." He had me there. Those were definitely two different things, but the way Alice had said that Jacob loved Bella didn't lead me to believe his feelings for Bella were strictly platonic or brotherly. There had to have been more to their relationship, and Bella's reaction to seeing Jacob with me and how close he had stood with me in the foyer of the house told me that there had been.

"Were you ever?" I asked quietly, unable to stop myself, and he frowned.

"Was I ever what?" he asked.

"Were you ever _in love_ with Bella?" I asked, actually fearing the answer when Jacob's eyes left my face as he turned his head towards the window I had just been looking it out. Selfishly, I wanted him to say 'no,' but the fact that he looked away from me was really all the answer I needed. He had been in love with Bella at some point over the course of their friendship, but how deep it went I wasn't sure I wanted to know. My stomach was twisting and my heart hammering as I waited for him to answer the question, but I didn't have to wait long.

"I used to think I was," he said quietly before he turned his head towards me. "I cared about her a lot, and I thought it was love, true love even, but I was wrong." He wasn't lying, I could tell that simply because his eyes never waivered once from mine as he spoke, but I found it hard to believe. He'd only known Bella for a short period of time, a little over two years, and for most of it she'd been in a relationship with Edward. If he cared about her so much that he had once thought it was true love, how was it possible for his feelings to change in that short amount of time and become purely platonic?

"You sound so sure of that," I said, my voice barely above a whisper because I felt like I couldn't breathe. Jacob was staring at me in that way of his that left me feeling stupid and it was then that I felt the warmth of his hands on my hips as he shuffled his body even closer to mine. I swallowed hard to try and get the lump that had formed in my throat to go down, but it didn't work.

"Because I am," he whispered back. Once again, my heart felt as though it was going to burst out of my chest and I was actually light headed as Jacob pulled me into him, my chest pressing softly against his as we stared at each other.

My brain was telling me that I needed to take a step away from him, that I needed to put distance between the two of us because it was all moving way, _way, _too fast. However, I remained where I stood looking into Jacob's seemingly endless dark eyes because he made no move to kiss me and his hands remained where they rested on the curves of my hips with his fingers resting on my lower back and not on my butt. He wasn't grabbing at me or groping me. He was just holding me in place, and if I wanted to listen to my brain, I could have easily stepped back and out of his grasp. That, however, was not going to be happening anytime soon.

"How?" I asked him quietly. "How are you so sure?" He smiled at me then as his right hand ghosted over my back and then my shoulder before his warm hand was gently holding on to the left side of my face.

"I'll answer that question someday," he said, leaving me hanging just like he had yesterday when I asked him about going to college.

"Someday soon?" I asked and he ran his thumb along the apple of my cheek as he nodded.

"Yeah," he said quietly with a small smile on his lips. "Someday soon," he promised and I couldn't help but smile back at him. However, my thoughts were going a million miles an hour as I tried to process everything.

Not only did Jacob's confession about his feelings for Bella confuse me, but my own swirling emotions were helping to add to my utter confusion as I stood there in Jacob's arms. If Jacob were any other guy, I would have been _beyond_ uncomfortable standing wrapped up in his arms in the middle of his bedroom. However, like I mentioned before, I knew I could trust Jacob and something inside of me assured me that Jacob would never hurt me.

It made absolutely no logical sense for me to feel the way I felt when I was with him, and it was both exciting and terrifying at the same time because the whole thing was completely new to me. It was like that feeling you get after getting off a twisting and looping roller coaster; it was a constant heart pumping adrenaline rush when I was around Jacob, and despite my aversions to roller coasters, I loved it.

"Rory," he whispered breaking the long silence that had settled between us as we stood there, before he started to close the very small distance between our faces. However, just as I felt his breath on my lips, we were interrupted.

"Jake, you home?" came Billy's voice from what I assumed was the living room and I gasped quietly in surprise while Jacob's right hand lowered from my face and returned to my hip. My face warmed with a blush as I started panicking. What if Billy came into Jacob's room and caught me standing there wrapped up in his son's arms when both of us were supposed to be at school? Billy may have liked me after our brief meeting yesterday, but if he walked in now, his opinion of me might not be all that favorable anymore. Even though Jacob and I weren't doing anything, I doubted Billy would see it that way.

"Oh crap," I breathed as I tried to step out of Jacob's hold to hide somewhere just to be safe, but he tightened his hands and held me in place as I turned my eyes up to his face.

"Relax," he whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah, Dad, I'm home," he yelled as he turned his face from mine.

"You might want to put your bike in the garage," Billy said from the other room. "It's starting to sprinkle outside, which you know only leads to rain."

"All right," Jacob yelled, his smile turning into a crooked grin as he looked down at my red face. "You've got nothing to worry about," he told me softly.

"You can't be serious, Jacob," I whispered. "If your dad catches me in your bedroom when both of us are supposed to be in school, it's not going to end well."

"The only thing that would tick my dad off would be the fact that I made you skip your first day of school," he whispered back. "He wouldn't care about finding you in my bedroom." I raised a skeptical eyebrow at that and Jacob chuckled as he slowly slid his hands from my body, causing goose bumps to race across my skin.

"You know I don't believe you, right?" I asked him and he grinned once more.

"I know, but you will someday," he said and I scoffed a laugh as I shook my head. That was like the third or fourth time that Jacob had thrown the 'someday' card at me, however, I continued to let him get away with it. After all, we were barely friends and he owed me no explanation for anything he did. "I'm going to go and put my bike away, talk to my dad, and take a quick shower. Just stay in here and relax, okay?" he asked and I nodded my head before I sighed softly.

"Okay, but what if-," I started, but he interrupted.

"He won't come in here," Jacob said with a smile. "I promise."

"Fine," I said quietly. He chuckled and left his bedroom, closing the door behind him and leaving me on my own. With a heavy sigh, I walked over to his bed, which I noticed for the first time, and much to my surprise, was a twin. I had no idea how Jacob even fit on the thing let alone slept comfortably on it since the bed looked so small and Jacob, well, wasn't.

I sat down on the edge of the bed before I grabbed a car magazine from the small pile that he had on the floor by his lone nightstand. Jacob was obviously into cars given the number of magazines he had and looking around his room I saw that for the most part his walls were empty, but there were a few posters of what looked like classic sports cars. It was then that I found myself wondering what else Jacob was into, but I knew that sooner rather than later I would find out.

* * *

For about forty-five minutes I sat by myself in Jacob's room, paging through his car magazines and not really understanding any of the tips the articles gave or the various workings of the cars they were describing. However, the pictures were nice to look at; well, the pictures that didn't include bikini-clad girls modeling with the cars that were on display. Those I wasn't much of a fan of.

I had taken off my boots and was completely sitting on Jacob's bed with my back propped up against the wall at the top of his bed with his pillow offering a bit of support. My knees were drawn up and the last magazine that had been in the pile was resting on my thighs as I paged through it. Despite trying to distract myself with the magazines, my thoughts kept wandering back to the whole Bella conversation I had had with Jacob. I still wasn't sure why I had let the whole 'Jacob has feelings for Bella' thing bother me in the first place, but I was glad that Jacob and I were able to talk about it even if I still wasn't sure if he was being _completely_ honest with me.

I believed him when he told me that he loved Bella like he loved his sisters, sisters that I hadn't known he had until he said that, but there was something he wasn't telling me. It was something that he promised to tell me 'someday soon,' but I wasn't sure if that 'someday' would really come as fast as I wanted it to. However, despite all of that I was decided that for once in my life I was going to take a chance, and I was going to take a chance on Jacob. I hadn't misread the signals that Jacob had been sending me yesterday, and if the way he was touching me and looking at me that morning was any indication, he obviously felt the same strange connection to me that I felt to him.

After everything that morning I knew that Jacob was the kind of guy I could easily see myself falling head over heels in love with. Hell, just being close to him left me feeling winded and light headed, and my whole body had felt like it was on fire when I was pressed up against him. I had wanted him to kiss me so bad, and I knew that if Billy hadn't gotten home and called out to Jacob that he would have done just that. The very thought of even kissing Jacob left my head spinning, and I could only imagine what would happen if, or when, I ever actually did kiss Jacob. Knowing me, I'd probably pass out or something equally embarrassing.

I sighed to myself as I shook the thoughts from my head before I closed the magazine and tossed it onto the floor with the others that I had stacked in a much neater pile than they had previously been in. It was then that Jacob's bedroom door opened and I nearly had a heart attack out of fear that it was Billy. However, when I saw that it wasn't, I nearly had a heart attack for a completely different reason. Jacob walked into his bedroom, hair wet, and dressed only in a freaking towel that was wrapped around his hips. My eyes widened as he closed his bedroom door behind him and I was rooted to where I sat on his bed. He too stopped short when his eyes landed on me, but he smiled at me after he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Sorry, but if I would have taken clothes into the bathroom with me, Dad would've known something was up," he said as his russet cheeks tinted red as he looked at me.

"I-i-it's okay," I finally managed with a small smile. "It's not like I haven't seen you shirtless before," I threw in and Jacob chuckled as he walked over to his dresser. I took a deep breath and I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my black sock clad feet resting back on the wooden floor. I stood then and Jacob looked over his left shoulder at me with a frown.

"Going somewhere?" he asked and I was pretty sure I was about as red as could be as I gestured towards his closet.

"I'm just going to stand in the closet while you get dressed," I said before I walked over to it, doing just as I said. The second I closed the door of the very cramped and small closet I heard Jacob laugh. I blushed, but smiled to myself as I stood there surrounded by Jacob's things. It wasn't a very comfortable place to take refuge, but I was only in there for barely a minute because soon the door was opened to reveal a fully dressed and smiling Jacob. I smiled at him while he rolled his eyes, grabbed my right hand, and pulled me out of the closet, before he closed the door.

"You're crazy," he said, throwing my words from yesterday back at me, and I laughed quietly.

"It's been said," I said, doing the same thing, and Jacob chuckled as he gently pushed me back. I was trapped between Jacob's imposing body and the closet door behind me, but I wasn't afraid. In fact, I couldn't stop smiling as I looked up at Jacob and his dark eyes practically danced across my face.

"There's a party on Saturday," he said when his eyes finally settled with mine, "and I want you to come with me." My heart started racing again, but I kept my face neutral at the question.

"As your friend or as your date?" I asked, as my hands automatically found their way to rest on his black t-shirt covered chest. I had tried to sound flirty, but I probably had failed miserably at my attempt. However, the small grin that played across his lips as he glanced down at my hands on his chest told me that maybe I hadn't. His eyes returned to my face and his hands left the door/wall behind me and settled on my upper waist.

"If I ask you to come as my date, what would you say?" he asked.

"I'd say . . . I'd have to think about it," I teased with a grin as I pushed at his chest, catching him off guard and causing him to stumble back a bit and away from me before I started to quickly rush around him. However, I had forgotten all about his fast reflexes. He easily caught me around the waist before he turned me around in his arms so I was once again pressed up against his chest and looking into his dark eyes. I was laughing, rather loudly I might add, and Jacob was smiling as he looked down at me. "I am not a rag doll you know," I said through my laughter and Jacob chuckled.

"You'd have to think about it? Really?" he asked and I smiled at him before I shrugged my shoulders as my hands once again rested on his chest. "Come on, Rory, you can't leave a guy hanging like that," he said softly before he pressed his forehead against mine. My heart was hammering away again and I swore that one of these days it was actually going to break a rib or something.

"Do you really want me to go with you as your date or were you just humoring me because of my question?" I asked him quietly and in all seriousness. He lifted his head then, his beautiful brown eyes catching my blue as he continued to hold me tightly against his body.

"I want you, Aurora Bishop, to be my date more than I have ever wanted anything before in my life," he said, his face completely serious and no lie in his eyes. I nervously licked my lips before I smiled softly at him.

"Okay," I said and his smile was blinding as he looked at me.

"You know, if you're going sneak around with a girl in the house, you should be a little more subtle about it," came Billy's humor filled voice and I was pretty sure my face turned fire engine red as I untangled myself from Jacob's arms and took a step back only to trip on my bag that I had put on the floor earlier. Jacob tried to reach out for me, but obviously his dad sitting in his wheelchair in the open door way had caught him off guard as well and his reflexes weren't as quick. With a high-pitched squeak, I landed hard on my butt facing a snickering Billy who was red in the face from holding in what was undoubtedly roaring laughter.

"Rory, are you okay?" Jacob asked as he squatted down beside me and I swatted away his hands as I quickly picked myself up off the floor and adjusted the hem of my sweater.

"I'm okay," I said quickly to appease Jacob's worried expression as he righted himself. My eyes shifted to Billy and Jacob looked at his Dad as he moved to my side, his right arm going around my back and his hand right hand settling on my hip. I stiffened, but didn't pull away from him as Billy finally got himself under control.

"Not that it isn't nice to see you again, Aurora, but if I'm not mistaken, weren't you supposed to start school today?" he asked and my face continued to burn red as I looked at Billy.

"W-w-well, y-you see . . . I . . . I . . . I got nothing," I finally said with a sigh as I looked up at Jacob who laughed before he pressed a warm (and surprising) kiss to my left temple.

"It's my fault, Dad," he said as he turned his eyes to Billy, but I found I couldn't look away from Jacob's profile as he spoke to his father. "I sort of kidnapped her."

"I see," Billy said, his voice knocking me out of my stupor and bringing my eyes back to him. "I'm going to let this slide, just this once, and I won't tell Charlie," he said as he looked at me, smile in place, before he turned his eyes to Jacob, "but it can't happen again. Aurora has to go to school, Jake, and summer vacation starts pretty soon. You'll be able to spend as much time together as you want then," he said, his expression turning serious.

"I know," Jacob said. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"Good," Billy said before he put his hand on the wheels of his chair. "Now, you two are more than welcome to join me for lunch since it's that time; but if you stay in here, keep the door open." With that Billy wheeled away and I groaned quietly out of embarrassment before I turned my face into Jacob's chest. He laughed quietly as his hand left my hip and he gently rubbed my back.

"I told you the only thing he'd be upset about was me taking you out of school," Jacob said and I looked up at him.

"Shut up," I said and Jacob laughed while I frowned as I shifted so his arm fell back to his side. "Why isn't he upset about you not being in school?"

"I'm sort of on a sabbatical," he said after a beat and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I'll tell you-," he started, but I interrupted because I knew exactly what he was about to say.

"Someday," I finished for him as I crossed my arms over my chest and he smiled at me before he nodded.

"Yes," he said as he reached out and uncrossed my arms from in front of me before he slid his fingers down my forearms to take my hands into his. "And I promise it'll be soon." I nodded and Jacob continued to smile before he jerked his head towards the door. "Are you hungry?" he asked just as my stomach roared to life, making me blush yet again and Jacob chuckle. "I'll take that as a 'yes,'" he said. "Let's go see what Dad's throwing together."

"Okay," I said and he let go of my right hand, but kept my left firmly in his right before he led me from his bedroom; and I was smiling like an idiot the whole time.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! Thank you all so very much for your reviews and adds. I tried to respond to everyone that left a signed review, but if I missed you or if you left an unsigned review: THANK YOU! I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Around two o'clock Billy suggested that Jacob take me home since school would be getting out soon and I'd be expected. Thankfully, Jacob had elected to drive me home in his car since the rain was now coming down at a pretty steady pace that afternoon. It was quiet in the car the entire way, but Jacob had hold of my left hand in his right as he drove. I rested my head against the headrest of my seat as I watched the scenery pass by and thought about the nice day I had had with Billy and Jacob.

Lunch had been a fun affair of Billy telling me stories about Jacob when he was little and all the 'trouble' he would get in with his best friends, Embry Call and Quil Ateara. Jacob's cheeks had been bright pink throughout the whole thing, and that had only made me laugh harder at certain parts of the stories. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed like that, and I had only grown to like Billy (and Jacob) even more than I already did. During lunch Billy had also told me about Jacob's sisters, Rachel and Rebecca.

They were twins and four years older than Jacob. Rebecca lived in Hawaii with her husband, and Rachel went to Washington State University. The girls didn't visit home all that often and it was obvious that both Jacob and Billy missed them, but they let them live their lives. Neither Billy nor Jacob mentioned Jacob's mom at all and I didn't ask because I had a feeling that, like I had initially feared, Jacob's mom had died. However, I didn't know how long ago she passed away or how, and I certainly wasn't about to ask. When he was ready to talk about it, he would. Just like I would talk to him about my mom and what she was like when I was ready. I wasn't sure when that would be, but I knew it would eventually happen.

I looked at Jacob just as he happened to glance my way and we shared a smile before he returned his eyes to the road. We didn't say anything to each other; Jacob just rubbed his thumb on the back of my hand, which made me blush for the millionth time since meeting him. Even though I still didn't know all that much about him, it felt like I had known Jacob my entire life and despite my tendency to blush and forget basic coordination around him, everything between us was easy. I'd known him for two days and I wanted to be around him all the time, and it was because of that that my heart sort of sank when Charlie's house came into view. Jacob brought his car to a stop in front of the house, and I turned my eyes to him once more only to see that he was already looking at me.

"I had a really nice time today, Jacob," I said quietly and his hold on my hand tightened just a bit as his dark eyes met my blue.

"I did too," he said. "I'm glad you came with me this morning."

"I almost didn't," I admitted quietly and he gave me a sad smile.

"I know, but you did; and that's all that matters in the end," he said before he slowly let go of my hand only to put his car in park and turn off the engine before he pulled his keys from the ignition. I laughed softly as I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Before we had left, Billy had reminded Jacob that he was on shift, for what I assumed was his job, at five and needed to be at a man named Sam's before then, so, since it was almost three I wasn't sure why he'd turned off the car.

"Are you planning on staying?" I asked and Jacob grinned as he looked at me.

"For a little while. That okay?" he asked and I laughed again as I unbuckled my seatbelt and picked up my bag from where it was resting on my lap. It almost seemed like he was reluctant to leave me on my own, but I chalked it up to my imagination and excitement for our pending date. He just had some time to kill and he was going to spend it with me before he had to get going to meet up with whoever Sam was.

"Sure. I'm surprised you're not sick of me yet," I said and it was Jacob's turn to chuckle before his dark eyes went serious as he continued to smile at me.

"I don't think that will ever happen, Rory," he said, his voice low and soft, and I was pretty sure I went red from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

"Oh," I said softly before I cleared my throat. "Let's go." We climbed from the car and we ran to the porch since the rain was coming down pretty hard and neither one of us had an umbrella. Both of us ended up getting relatively wet, and I had almost bit it yet again when I slipped on some mud, but Jacob had come to the rescue yet again. We were laughing as I opened the front door and the two of us went inside.

"I thought you said you were a dancer," Jacob said with a laugh as he closed the door behind us and I turned to look at him as I put my bag on the floor and slipped my boots from my feet. Just like I had learned more about Jacob over lunch, he had learned more about me and he'd been surprised by the fact that I was a member of my old high school's dance team and had taken dance lessons in contemporary, jazz, and ballroom from the time I was three.

"I am," I said through my own light laughter as I righted myself after setting my boots to the side so I would track the mud that was on them through the house, and Jacob grinned as he moved closer to me.

"Well, you sure aren't very graceful," he said. "That's like the third or fourth time you've either almost fallen or fallen since I met you."

"That's not my fault," I said as I smiled at him. "I only turn into a klutz whenever I'm around you." My eyes widened and my face heated at my admission, and Jacob's grin turned into a full-fledged smile before he raised his left hand and brushed a wet strand of hair off my face as he looked at me.

"You also blush a lot," he said, his finger running along my warm right cheek.

"Also something I only really do around you." I had no idea why I felt the need to tell him that, but I had said it and there was no taking it back. He continued to smile at me as he lowered his hand, and our eyes remained locked.

"So, does that mean I make you nervous?" he asked, his tone clearly telling me that he already knew he did, but my pride wouldn't let me admit _that_ to him.

"Of course not," I said. My voice tapered off in a bit at the end of my sentence, because Jacob had moved even closer to me, which totally undermined my statement. He chuckled as I felt his hands settle on my upper waist yet again, and that adrenaline rush like feeling started spreading through my body as he pulled me towards him, my chest once again brushing against his. He was so warm that the chill I was feeling standing in the foyer in my rain soaked clothes was long forgotten, and the only things I could focus on were my pounding heart and Jacob's dark eyes.

"I think it does," he teased, making a funny face as he spoke, and I couldn't help but laugh as I shook my head at his expression. The laugh I had let out actually sounded more like a giggle, and my face warmed yet again at the sound.

"I plead the Fifth," I said earning another laugh from Jacob as he wrapped his arms around me completely. His hands were clasped loosely together at my lower back and out of instinct my arms raised and my hands went behind his neck before he leaned in to me just a bit.

Without really thinking, my right hand slipped into Jacob's nearly dry hair, and he let out a heavy sigh before he closed his eyes. His arms tightened around me and he rested his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes at the contact and smiled to myself as I stood there in Jacob's arms, reveling in the feeling of absolute contentment that surrounded me as we stood there. Sadly, our private moment didn't last long because the front door opening drew us apart. However, Jacob kept me in his arms as he lifted his head and looked over his right shoulder. I too looked to the door and saw Bella and Edward walk in.

"Hi guys," I said lightly. Edward smiled slightly upon seeing Jacob and me standing there together, and I smiled at him in return before my eyes landed on Bella.

Once again, she looked uncomfortable and quickly I slid my hands from around his neck so they fell to my sides and I could feel Jacob's curious eyes on me before I felt him slowly unwrap his arms from around me. However, he kept his left arm around me and pulled me flush against his side as he turned to face Edward and Bella. His body was tense, why I didn't know, but he had also shifted the way we were standing so that he was basically standing between Edward, Bella, and me.

"Hey," Bella said as she looked between Jacob and me. "We're you guys here all day?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, we spent most of the day at Jacob's and hung out there with Billy," I said and Bella nodded her head as she once again looked between Jacob and I.

"I, uh, got your schedule and work from the teachers for you today," she said before she pulled a folder from her backpack. Since Jacob had me turned away from her, Jacob took the folder from her before he handed it to me. I smiled at him in thanks before I looked back at Bella. "I told everyone that you weren't feeling well, but that you'd be in class tomorrow."

"Thanks, Bella," I said. "You didn't have to do all that." She just gave me an awkward smile and shrugged her shoulders before she looked at Edward and then back at me.

"We're going to work on our homework in the living room," Bella said.

"Okay," I said and when they started to walk by us, Jacob turned me away as they passed by. Edward sighed and shook his head before he put his hand on Bella's back and followed her over to the sofa and coffee table. I looked up at Jacob with a small frown on my face and I couldn't help but notice the fact that he was glaring daggers at Edward as he sat down on the sofa with Bella. "Jacob?" I asked him quietly and he quickly turned his attention to me, his glare melting away.

"What's wrong?" he asked when he saw my frown.

"Nothing," I said before I stepped out from under his arm and held out my right had to him. He was quick to take hold of my hand and it was my turn to pull him along, and I walked with Jacob into the kitchen. "You really don't like Edward do you?" I asked him quietly once we were in the other room and I let go of his hand. Jacob sighed heavily before he ran his hand through his damp hair and I sat the folder Bella had given me down on the table.

"No," he said heavily, "and I really don't like the fact that he's going to be here with you when I leave." The deadly expression on his face as he looked towards the door that led into the living room surprised me as much as what he said did.

"Well, Edward's going to be with Bella, not me," I said and he turned his eyes back to mine.

"He's still going to be in the house with you," he said and I laughed as I shook my head.

"You act like he's going to attack me or something the second you're not around," I said and he took a deep breath through his nose as I watched his fists clench at his sides. "I'm pretty sure he's harmless."

"Hardly," Jacob said lowly and I furrowed my brow as I looked at him before I shivered slightly. I had forgotten that it was chilly in the house since I had been standing with Jacob. Now that I was out of his arms, I was a little cold in my still wet clothes. Jacob looked at me before he sighed quietly and moved over to me, once again wrapping me up in his arms. "If I could take you with me, I would," he said softly.

"Jacob," I said quietly as I raised my hands to rest on his chest, unable to fight a smile as he pressed his forehead to mine once again. I had no idea why Jacob was so against Edward even being the same house with me, and I couldn't help but think that it was kind of weird. Especially since it was me he was worried about. I wasn't the one that was in a relationship with the guy he apparently loathed more than I had assumed. "I'll be fine," I assured him.

"Hmm," he hummed as he lifted his head, his eyes once again meeting mine. "I still don't like it."

"He gave Bella and me a ride to school this morning, and he was a perfect gentleman," I said with a soft laugh, and his arms tightened around me.

"Yeah, that won't be happening again," he said and I raised an eyebrow. "I'll give you a ride and pick you up."

"Jacob," I said as I shook my head and tried to step out of his grasp, but his hold was far too firm that time around. "You can't be serious. It'd be silly for you to drive all the way over here to just take me to school only to repeat it six hours later."

"Maybe, but that's how it's going to be," he said. "I don't trust any of the Cullens, especially around you." Jacob didn't really peg me as an obsessive and overprotective kind of guy, but at that moment he was being just that. I didn't know why he was having an issue with Edward being around or giving me a ride to school, but if the two of us were going to be spending a lot of time together (or even dating), I needed to make a few things clear to him.

"I hate to break it to you, Jacob, but Alice is sort of my friend and since Edward is dating Bella, I'm bound to get to know him and be around him on a pretty regular basis," I said and he sighed before he once again pressed his forehead against mine. "You don't have anything to worry about, Jacob," I said softly as I raised my right hand to the side of his face. "I don't want you to take me to school every morning, but should you want to see me after school, feel free to pick me up anytime you want." He laughed lightly then as he lifted his head, and his dark eyes met my blue once more, all the while my hand remained on his cheek. "And _that's_ how it's going to be, okay?"

"Fine," he said tightly, his smile slipping, before I lowered my hand back to his chest, "but expect me to be there every day." I laughed and shook my head before I pushed at his chest, and that time Jacob let me out of his arms.

"You won't hear me object to that," I said lightly and Jacob chuckled before he pressed a kiss to my forehead, causing my heart to jump in my chest as I closed my eyes. He pulled back and I looked up at him.

"I'll be on pa-shift all night, but if you need me for anything, call my dad. He'll get a hold of me, I'll be here faster than you can blink."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Jacob," I said with a small smile on my face.

"Still," he said and I nodded.

"Okay, if I need you, I'll call Billy," I said.

"Thank you," he said before he kissed my forehead once more. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered against my skin before he pulled back completely and took a step back from me.

"Bye, Jacob," I said. He gave me a small wave before he slowly turned on the balls of his feet and left.

* * *

Edward had left shortly after Charlie got home and once Charlie was home, Bella and I were in the kitchen fixing dinner for the three of us. I had been in my room up until Charlie got home, working on my catch up work and reading the e-mails my friends in San Diego had sent and responded to them in turn. I had stayed up in my room mostly to avoid the slight awkwardness that was present between Bella and me, but now as we were fixing dinner together it was impossible to ignore. However, I had to try and put an end to it. I didn't know if would work, but I had to try.

"Bella, I have to ask you something, and please tell me the truth," I said as I paused in cutting the onions that were going to go in with the ground beef as it cooked for the tacos we were fixing.

"Um, okay," Bella said with a slight frown and I took a deep breath to gather my courage before I bit the bullet.

"Do you have a problem with Jacob and me hanging out?" I asked and she seemed almost surprised by my question.

"Huh?" she asked and I shifted my feet so I was looking at her.

"I can't help but get the feeling that you don't like it that Jacob and I are sort of . . . hanging out. I know he's your friend, and if you're worried I'll hurt him, I won't," I said as I shook my head. If anyone was going to do any hurting, I was pretty sure that it would end up being Jacob that hurt me.

"That's not it," Bella said before she turned to face me, "and I don't . . . I don't have a problem with you and Jacob hanging out. I just didn't expect you two to hit it off so well."

"Yeah, I really didn't see anything like this happening either," I said with a light laugh. "I know that it's sort of crazy since I just met him and everything, but I really like him."

"It's harder to _not _like, Jacob," she said with a smile and I nodded in agreement since she was right.

"I know. He's a really great guy, if not a little stubborn," I said and Bella nodded her head.

"Yeah, he is that," she said before she looked away from me and at the cilantro she had been chopping. She looked even more trouble than before we had even started talking, and I had a feeling that instead of taking a step forward we'd taken two steps back.

"So, we're okay, right?" I asked and she looked at me.

"Yeah, Aurora, we're okay," she said with a smile. However, just like every other smile she gave me since I walked through the door yesterday afternoon with Jacob, it was a forced smile and I knew that we were definitely not okay.

* * *

The rest of the week went by so fast that it seemed like one second it was Tuesday and the next it was Saturday morning. The first couple of days at Forks High School I felt like a fish in a fish bowl, and the fact that Jacob had picked me up after school every day didn't help matters any. Apparently, I had been the talk of the school on Monday when quite a few people had seen 'the new girl' ride off on the back of a motorcycle with one of the 'native' kids. I made the mistake of telling Jacob about that on Tuesday, because he showed up on his bike every day after that and glared at anyone that looked our way.

Things with Bella and I were still tension filled, but I had to give the girl some credit because she put up a good front. Alice had told me that I really didn't have anything to worry about, and that before too long things with Bella would work themselves out; and Alice being Alice I believed her. I just hoped that things would resolve sooner rather than later because Charlie was starting to sense the tension between us. I could tell by the way he was looking between the two of us over breakfast that Saturday morning.

"So, what do you girls have planned for the day?" he asked before he took a drink of his coffee. I glanced at Bella who was chewing a bite of food and she shrugged her shoulders, which caused Charlie to turn his eyes to me.

"Jacob's supposed to pick me up at eleven-thirty," I said. "We're going to hang out for a while and then we're going to a party his friends are having tonight."

"Really?" Bella asked and I looked at her. "Jacob didn't mention that they were having a party."

"He invited me the other day," I said before I took a drink of my orange juice. "If you want to come with us, we can ask him when he comes over," I offered as I sat my glass back down. I wanted to punch myself in the face for making that offer, and I wanted nothing more than for Bella to decline my offer.

"I'm going to be with Alice and Jasper for a while today, but if it's okay with Jacob, I could swing by the party."

"I'm sure he won't mind," Charlie said and both Bella and I turned our attention to him. "I think it's a good idea that you spend some time with Aurora, Jacob, and others for a while." I had quickly learned over the last week that Charlie wasn't a fan of Edward either, and that was his code for 'you've been spending too much time with Edward and his family.' I really didn't know what everyone had against Edward, or really the Cullens in general since Jacob didn't like any of them, because Edward and Alice had been nothing but nice to me. Sure, they were a little weird but there was no such thing as 'normal' anyway.

After that breakfast went back to being a quiet affair, and when I was finished I washed my dishes and went upstairs. I had two hours to shower and get ready for my date with Jacob. He'd decided to make an all-day event, which I didn't mind in the least bit. However, I wanted to put a little bit of effort into my outfit for the day since it was technically our first date, and despite the fact that he had seen me every day this past week, I still wanted to try and impress Jacob.

I immediately went to my closet and went through my clothes with a frown on my face. It felt like I had nothing to wear, but that was a complete and total lie. All of my clothes had barely fit in my closet and in my dresser, and some of them had to be stored in plastic bins, which were neatly stacked beside my dresser. The words 'I have nothing to wear' had to right to come out of my mouth, so, after nearly fifteen wasted minutes I had finally decided on an outfit.

It consisted of dark wash boot cut jeans that rested right along my hips and fit me like second skin, a thick cotton black scoop next t-shirt, and a warm black, dark blue, and gray cardigan sweater that I had bought two weeks before I moved to Forks. As for my shoes I went with a pair of black hiking boots since Jacob told me to wear something comfortable and shoes that I would be able to walk a lot in when I had asked. With my outfit selected, I commandeered the bathroom to shower and get ready.

* * *

It was almost eleven-thirty and I was putting the finishing touches on my ensemble, which meant I was clasping my necklace around my neck and fluffing my curly hair that I had opted to leave down for the first time since I had made the move to Forks one week earlier. It may have been stupid, but when I heard the doorbell ring butterflies filled my stomach and my heart jumped in to my throat because I knew it was Jacob; and Charlie calling my name a few seconds later was all the confirmation I needed.

I took a deep breath and left my bedroom, a small skip in my step as I passed Bella's closed bedroom door and made my way downstairs. Jacob and Charlie were talking and I smiled as my eyes landed on Jacob. He was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a simple t-shirt despite the chill in the air, but he had told me time and time again that he was rarely, if ever, cold, and I knew his freakishly high body temp was the reason for that.

"Hey," I said when I reached the bottom of the stairs and both Charlie and Jacob turned to look at me. Charlie smiled slightly as he looked at me and then glanced at Jacob who was grinning in a way that made me blush as I turned my eyes to Charlie, who turned his full attention to Jacob.

"When Aurora mentioned the party you're taking her to tonight, Bella was interested in coming. Would it be all right if she stops by?" Charlie asked and Jacob actually hesitated.

"Well, it's not really a party," Jacob said and I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him. "It's more of a tribal council meeting, but Dad gave me the okay to bring Rory."

"Oh," Charlie said and I blinked at Jacob in surprise. "Well, I'll . . . I'll be sure to tell Bella then." He cleared his throat then and I looked at Charlie who gave me a tight lipped smile.

"I'll be home by curfew," I said to break the awkward silence, knowing that that meant I needed to be home by eleven.

"Have fun," Charlie said and I nodded as Jacob took hold of my hand. We left the house and headed towards his car, which I was relieved to see was our mode of transportation that morning.

"Jacob?" I asked as we drew closer to his car and he glanced at me to let me know that he had heard me. "Are you sure it's a good idea for me sit in on one of your tribe's council meetings?" I asked as we came to a stop at the passenger side of his car and Jacob turned to look at me. "I don't want to cause any trouble for you or Billy."

"You won't cause any trouble, Rory," he said as he shook his head. "Everyone will be there and you'll be able to meet all my friends and the guys I work with. Plus, Dad will be telling our tribal legends tonight once the 'business' side of things with the elders is finished, and I want you to hear them."

"Really?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "It'll help give you a little insight into my people and they are definitely entertaining." I smiled at him before I shook my head and squeezed his hand.

"I wish I could do the same for you," I said. "I'm a little bit of just about every European country on my mom's side, and I have _no_ idea what I got from my father; so, I have no awesome stories to tell." He laughed at that before he opened the car door for me.

"No worries, Rory," he said with a smile. "I've got plenty of stories for the both of us." I laughed at that and nodded my head.

"Fair enough," I said and Jacob smiled at me as I climbed into the car. He closed the door and I took a deep breath as I watched him walk around and climb in. "So, what are going to do until the meeting tonight?"

"A little of this, a little of that," he said as he started the car and I raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" I asked and he laughed.

"It means, it's a surprise," he said before he pulled off and I rolled my eyes.

"Jacob, there is one thing you need to know about me," I said and he chuckled yet again as he glanced at me and the scowl I had set on my face.

"What's that?" he asked, still grinning.

"I hate surprises," I said dryly, but Jacob just continued to smile.

"You'll like this one," he said and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Oh, I doubt it," I said and he chuckled before he turned his dark eyes to my face after he had stopped at a stop sign. That familiar adrenaline rush feeling settled in again, and he wasn't even touching me. It was only the look in his eyes that sent the feeling coursing through my body and I uncrossed my arms to settle my hands in my lap as our eyes remained locked.

"Trust me," he said quietly, his voice low. "You'll like this one."


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone! Thank you all _so_ much for your reviews and adds. I tried to respond to everyone that left a signed review, but again if I missed you or you left an unsigned review: thank you for reading. I can't seem to stop writing this story because every spare minute I have is spent on my laptop writing, which explains the rapid updates lately. :) I hope you guys like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight._

* * *

**Chapter Six**

I smiled to myself as I leaned against the passenger side door of Jacob's car, my arms crossed over my chest and listening to Jacob's mumbled curses as he was currently working under the hood of his car. We were stopped on the side of the two lane road somewhere in La Push, far from any sort of civilization, while Jacob was attempting to get his car back in working order. We'd been driving when all of a sudden the engine started sputtering before it had died completely.

For the last forty-five minutes, Jacob had been working on his car with a scowl on his face and everything he tried didn't seem to do the trick and get the car started again. I chanced a glance around the open hood and saw grease smudged on his left cheek as well as patches of the stuff up and down his arms. I wasn't sure what he'd done to get himself so dirty, but I had to admit he looked pretty good with those grease smudges all over him. He was glaring at the engine as he rested his hands on the frame of the car, and I uncrossed my arms before I walked over to where he stood. I put my hand on his left shoulder blade and I felt his muscle flex and tense under my touch before he turned his head in my direction.

"I don't know anything about cars, but I really don't think looking at the engine like you want to rip the whole thing into tiny little pieces is going to get it working," I said with a small smile, trying to lighten Jacob's mood, and Jacob sighed quietly as he looked away from me. I felt his muscles relax slightly before he pushed himself up and turned to face me, making my hand fall away from his back.

"This is not the surprise I had planned," he said and I laughed lightly as I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it," I said, but sighed all the same and went to reach out for me only to stop when he noticed the grease he had on them. He sighed heavily and lowered his hands to his sides before he looked down in slight defeat. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with it?"

"I think the battery died," he said as he lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine once again. "I've known for a while that I need to get a new one, but I haven't had the money to get it. I should have just took my bike this morning. I'm sorry, Rory," he said and I rolled my eyes as I shook my head and stepped closer to him.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about, Jacob," I said, "and I've had a fun time listening to you grumble and curse to yourself. I had absolutely no idea that you had such a colorful vocabulary," I said and his cheeks tinted pink as he looked at me and I smiled up at him. I laughed quietly, which made him smile at me before he shook his head and looked down at his hands. "Do you have any towels or anything in the car you can use to clean up with?" I asked.

"Unfortunately no," he said and the next thing I knew he was pulling his maroon t-shirt from his body and wiping at his hands and his arms with the weathered cotton. I laughed once again before I shook my head and he smiled at me. "What?" he asked and I smiled at him.

"It seems like you're always taking your shirt off around me," I said and he quirked an eyebrow as he continued to smile.

"Are you complaining?" he asked as he finished cleaning off the last bit of grease that he could without soap and water.

"No," I said quietly as I took his shirt from his hands, folding it so I had a clean spot before I started wiping at the smudge on his face. "I was just making a statement," I said as I kept my eyes on his cheek, making sure to clean the grease away as best I could. Jacob caught my wrist as I finished up and I turned my eyes to his.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" he asked quietly and I grinned as I looked at him.

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I took my shirt off around you all the time?" I asked, my eyebrows raised and my grin still in place, and he once again quirked an eyebrow as he looked at me.

"Is there a right way to answer that question?" he asked, my wrist still wrapped up in his large and warm hand.

"Well, I always prefer an honest answer," I said and I saw Jacob swallow hard before he licked his lips.

"In that case, no," he said. "I would not be uncomfortable if you took your shirt off around me all the time." I laughed as Jacob smiled at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Then you have your answer, however, don't get your hopes up," I said with a smile. "We're not anywhere near that stage of our relationship yet." He chuckled then before he nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, not yet," he said and I was proud at myself for not blushing then before I pulled my wrist from his gentle grasp and took a step back from him. He smiled at me and I tossed his grease stained t-shirt at him before I pulled my cell phone out of the back pocket of my jeans.

"Should I call Charlie or do you know someone closer?" I asked and Jacob laughed as he shook his head and held out his empty right hand.

"I know someone close by," he said and after unlocking the keys I handed over my phone. I watched Jacob hit a few buttons before he brought my phone to his ear and looked down at the ground. Our date may not have started out like Jacob planned, but I knew that it would be salvaged in the end. After all, despite being stranded on the side of the road for nearly an hour with Jacob I had, surprisingly, had fun watching him work on his car.

* * *

After his phone call, Jacob had closed the hood of his car, and the two of us had leaned up against it to await the arrival of our rescuer, who Jacob said was his boss, Sam. Jacob had tossed his grease-stained shirt in the back seat of his car and had taken to playing with my left hand as we stood there waiting. My slightly long nails were painted a pale pink that had a bit of a slivery sparkle to it, something you really couldn't tell unless you really looked at my hands, and Jacob smiled as he ran his right index finger over the nail of my ring finger.

"What?" I asked with a smile of my own on my lips and he turned his head to look at me.

"I hadn't noticed until now that you paint your nails," he said and I laughed as I shrugged my right shoulder.

"I give myself regular manicures and pedicures," I said before I turned my eyes to the ground at our feet. "My mom taught me when I was like twelve; ever since then we'd spend our Saturdays doing our nails and toenails, and just talking. It'd become our way of catching up with each other, especially during the weeks that she was working fourteen hour days or I was bogged down by dance practice and homework. It didn't matter what was going on, Saturdays were our days and nothing ever deterred us from spending the day together."

"It sounds like you were close to your mom," Jacob said after a few quiet beats as he continued to play with my hand, running his fingers across my palm and sending goose bumps racing up my arm.

"She was my best friend," I said quietly before I turned my eyes up to his.

"Do you miss her?" he asked, and I saw him wince slightly the second the question was out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, Rory, I don't even know why I asked you that stupid question," he said and I shook my head as I wrapped my hand around his right and he covered our joined hands with his left.

"Seriously, Jacob, stop apologizing to me over things," I said with a sad smile. "To answer your question, I miss her every day; but since I've moved here, it's been getting easier a little bit more each day. I think I might have you to thank for that actually." Like a million other things before it, I hadn't expected to tell Jacob that, but it was the truth, and yet again I was proud of myself for not blushing at my honest admission.

"Me?" he asked, sounding both surprised and curious, and I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said softly, a genuine smile coming to my lips as I looked at him. "I don't know why, but you just make me feel like everything will be okay in the end."

He gave me a small smile before he sighed quietly as he raised my hand to his face and placed a soft and warm kiss on the inside of my wrist after he pushed up the sleeve of my cardigan slightly. I closed my eyes at the contact, loving the feeling of his warm lips pressed against my skin, before we both heard a car pull up to where we stood. I opened my eyes as Jacob lowered my hand and lifted his head so he was looking towards the road. A weathered truck had pulled up before a man that didn't look much older than either Jacob or I. I wasn't sure why, but when Jacob had said Sam was his boss I was expecting someone around Billy and Charlie's age.

"Hey Sam," Jacob said as he laced his fingers with mine and lowered our hands so they rested between us. Sam nodded his head at Jacob before his eyes settled on me. He had a serious (and slightly frightening) look on his face at first before he gave me a small smile. He was big like Jacob, but Jacob was slightly bigger and broader than Sam. However, they were both huge men. Aside from Billy I hadn't meant anyone else from the reservation, tonight being the night Jacob was going to introduce me to everyone, and I couldn't help but wonder if all the guys on the reservation were built like Sam and Jacob.

"You must be Aurora," he said as he looked at me and I nodded my head. "I'm Sam Uley."

"It's nice to meet you," I said and Sam nodded his head, small smile still in place, before he looked back at Jacob.

"Battery?" he asked and Jacob sighed quietly as he pushed himself up off the car.

"I think so," he said.

"Dylan should be by pretty soon to tow it to your place," Sam said. "Emily and I have got the charge covered."

"Thanks," Jacob said and the other young man nodded his head while Jacob looked at me. "Since the plans I made for today kind of fell through do you want to go to Sam's and meet everyone before the meeting tonight?"

"Okay," I said with a small smile when I saw the hopeful expression on Jacob's face and Jacob grinned at me as I too pushed myself up off the car.

"Everyone's looking forward to meeting you, Aurora," Sam said and I looked at him. "You're all Jacob talks about anymore." I laughed lightly as I looked at Jacob and saw his cheeks flush as he looked at Sam with slightly narrowed eyes, but at the sound of my laugh, Jacob looked at me with his cheeks still red.

"Don't be embarrassed, Jacob," I said quietly. "As long as it's all good things, I like that you talk about me."

"It's always good things," Jacob said just as quietly and I smiled at him before Sam cleared his throat. I actually jumped slightly since the noise had startled me, and I turned my eyes to Sam who was grinning as he looked between the two of us.

"Are you two ready?" he asked and I blushed that time as I nodded my head and tucked my hair behind my ears with my right hand. Jacob chuckled before he pulled me along to the passenger side of the truck. He opened the door for me and since Sam's truck was an older model, there was a lone bench seat in the cab, and since I was technically the smallest of the three of us, I was situated in the middle. Thanks to the small bump on the floor where I sat I was practically kissing my knees so I could only imagine how uncomfortable sitting in the middle would have been for Jacob.

Sam and Jacob climbed in and I noticed that the heater would never be needed as I sat nestled between the two rather large young men. The heat radiating off of Sam was just as intense as the heat radiating off Jacob and I frowned slightly as I realized how odd it was that both of them were so warm. I mean, I'd written Jacob's warm body temperature off as just something that was unique to him, but with Sam sharing that trait it clearly was not as unique as I thought.

* * *

Not even fifteen minutes later, Sam was parking his truck in front of a modest two story yellow house with flower boxes in the windows and hanging plants on the covered porch. I smiled to myself as I climbed out of the truck, following behind Jacob who held out his hand to me to help me out despite the fact that I didn't need his help out of the truck. The house didn't look like one Sam would live in on his own, so, I assumed Sam was either married or lived with his girlfriend. Sam was already heading inside as Jacob closed the car door behind me, his hand still holding on to mine.

"Rory," Jacob said and I ran my free hand through my hair curly as I looked at him. "When you meet Sam's fiancée, Emily, try not to stare. Sam doesn't like it." I knew then that Sam lived with his fiancée, but Jacob's words confused me.

"Why would I stare?" I asked with a frown and Jacob sighed quietly.

"She has scars on her face that came from a bear attack a few years ago," he said, and my eyes widened as my heart went out to the young woman that I hadn't even met yet.

"Oh my gosh, she was attacked by a bear?" I asked and Jacob gave me a stiff nod in response, his lips pursed. "That's terrible," I said quietly as I shook my head and looked towards the house.

"Don't worry, Rory," he said gently and I turned my eyes to Jacob yet again. "Emily's great, and once you get to know her you won't even see them anymore." I nodded and Jacob squeezed my hand before the two of us made our way to the house. We walked up the steps and through the open door and I stopped after walking just inside the door when I saw the group of people gathered in the house.

"Whoa," I said quietly and Jacob chuckled before he pulled on my hand and led me further into the house. In addition to Sam there were five other guys, all but one was shirtless and dressed only in cut offs like Jacob had been the very first time I met him. The youngest looking boy in the group was the only one that was wearing a shirt aside from Sam and he was smiling brightly as he looked at me while the others were grinning as they sat around the table that was filled with half empty serving plates of food that they were eating from like starving men. However, they had all paused in their inhaling of the food in front of them to look at me standing beside Jacob.

There were three women among the group of guys, a girl who looked my age and was sitting on the lap of one of the shirtless boys, another girl who was looking at me with a scowl on her pretty face, and the third I figured was Emily given the scars on her face and the fact that she was tucked securely into Sam's side as they stood near the half way that gave way to the kitchen behind them.

"Guys, this is Aurora," Jacob said and a chorus of 'hi' and 'hey' followed Jacob's introduction. He then started to point and name each of the people in the room, and since there were only a small handful of people I was able to remember their names. He introduced Embry and Quil first, and it was nice to be able to put faces to the boys that Billy had told me all about earlier in the week.

Next was Paul, who grinned and winked at me, which made me raise an eyebrow before Jacob moved on to Jared and his girlfriend Kim, who was perched on his lap. Kim gave me a small smile, a light blush on her cheeks. Leah was next, she was the girl with the ever present scowl and chin length black hair, followed by her younger brother Seth, who was the boy that was smiling brightly at me.

"So this is Rory," Paul said with a smile on his lips as his eyes swept over me before he looked at Jacob. "She's prettier than you said she was, Jake. Lucky mutt." The guys around him chuckled while Leah rolled her eyes and Jacob's hold tightened on my hand.

"Be nice, Paul," came a soft voice and I looked towards the sound before Emily dislodged herself from Sam's side and walked over to me. "Welcome, Aurora, it's so nice to finally meet you," she said before she was quick to embrace me. I let go of Jacob's hand and hugged her back, a small smile coming to my lips because she was several inches shorter than me. We pulled apart and I looked at her face, my eyes unintentionally sweeping across the scars that marred the right side of her face. If it wasn't for those scars, Emily would be breathtakingly beautiful; but Jacob was right. The kindness that emanated off of Emily and the smile that lit up the left side of her face made you forget all about the scars that left her slightly disfigured.

"It's nice to meet you too, Emily," I said honestly.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "When Jacob called I had just started putting lunch on the table so I saved you a plate knowing the boys would have eaten most of it by the time you two got here."

"Oh, thank you. You didn't have to do that," I said and she smiled.

"It was no problem," she said. "I'll just warm it up for you." With that she walked away and Jacob took hold of my hand once more.

"Come on," he said as I looked up at him and we walked over to the table and the lone empty chair that rested at it. Jacob sat down before he pulled me into his lap, earning a surprise squeak from me and laughter from the group gathered around the table. I laughed as well before I looked over my right shoulder at Jacob who looked at me in return with an innocent look on his face. "What?" he asked quietly and I rolled my eyes and shook my head while his left hand settled on my left him as I sat across his lap.

"Shouldn't you, like, wash up or something?" I asked him quietly. "Maybe ask Sam if you can borrow a shirt?"

"What is with you and wanting Jake to put a shirt on?" asked a voice that I didn't know. I thought I had asked the question quietly, but my voice must have been louder than I thought. I looked away from Jacob, who was chuckling, before I tried to find the owner of the voice. "You'd think that you'd _like_ him running around half naked," the same voice said and I saw Jared grinning at me. Obviously, Jacob had told his friends about our very first meeting, and I could only chuckle right along with Jacob and the others.

"Jared," Kim admonished quietly, but Jared just chuckled as he looked at his girlfriend before he returned his eyes to me.

"I never said that I don't like it," I said with a shrug and a smile as I leaned back against Jacob's bare chest and his hand left my hip as his arm wrapped around my waist. "It's just not something I'm used to unless it's eighty degrees, sunny, and I'm at the beach." Everyone laughed again and I felt Jacob press his nose into my hair before his warm breath weaved through my thick hair before it made its way to the back of my neck, making me shiver slightly. Jacob's arm tightened around me and I saw Paul smirk from where he sat on Jacob's right.

"Cold, Rory?" he asked and I did blush then as I shook my head negatively, smiling innocently at Paul, while Jacob pulled his face out of my hair.

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p' as I continued to smile at Paul. He grinned and shook his head before he returned his attention to his food.

"Too bad your plans for your big date fell through, Jake," a voice said from my left and I looked in the general direction of Quil and Embry. Since Embry had his mouth was full with half of the chicken leg that he had just stuffed into his mouth, I assumed it had been Quil that spoken and I was right when said boy looked at me. "He'd been planning it all week," he said with a smile and I smiled back at Quil, butterflies filling my stomach as I laughed quietly.

"Yeah, Toby was disappointed when Emily called him after you called here to cancel your boat time. He wanted to meet your girlfriend," Paul said with a laugh, and the butterflies erupted tenfold at the thought of being labeled as Jacob's girlfriend already. It was a little early for that label, but I had a feeling we were definitely headed down that road.

"Boat time?" I asked as I looked at Paul, and Jacob's right hand shot out and hit him in the arm so hard and so fast that if I hadn't been looking, I wouldn't have even realized that Jacob had moved or exactly what had Paul grumbling and clutching his arm like he was.

"What was that for?" Paul growled out, the tone of his voice actually frightening me slightly, and the deadly look on his face as he glared at Jacob wasn't helping calm my nerves any.

"It was a surprise you idiot," piped up a female voice that I knew did not belong to either Emily or Kim, so, I presumed it had been Leah that spoke. The death glare left Paul's face as he rubbed at his arm one last time and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, right. I forgot," Paul said before he shrugged his shoulders and resumed eating. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at Paul before I shook my head and turned my eyes back to Jacob, looking at him over my right shoulder.

"What were we going to do on a boat?" I asked him. Jacob sighed before his dark eyes met my blue. Unfortunately, before Jacob could say a word, Emily came over to me with a warm plate in hand.

"There you go," she said, drawing my eyes to her and I smiled at her in thanks before I took the silverware from her hands. She returned to Sam's side and the conversation turned to playful banter between the boys with Leah throwing her two cents in every now and again. Jacob joined in their conversation, talking casually and as if I wasn't sitting on his lap. He'd grabbed a chicken leg from the plate and ate it before he quickly followed up with another one. Kim, like me, was silent through the exchange of the boys, but unlike me, she seemed completely at ease amongst the oversized young men around us.

Thanks to a few of her one-liners, it didn't seem like Leah got along all that well with the guys and aside from her brother, I had the feeling was mutual; and as though she felt my curious gaze on her, her brown eyes met mine across the small expanse of the room that separated us. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, but I offered her a small smile in return.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do because she stood up so fast she knocked over the chair she had been sitting in, causing the room to go silent as everyone looked at her. It took them all of a second to realize that Leah was glaring at me, and I felt Jacob's body tense underneath mine. Leah looked away from me then and stormed out of the house before she disappeared from my line of sight as I watched her walk away through the open door.

"I'm going to hazard a guess and say she doesn't like me," I said as I looked back the guys, feeling slightly defeated.

"Leah doesn't like anybody," Paul said and I looked at him as the others murmured their agreement.

"That's not true," a voice I had yet to assign to a face said and I knew it was Seth, so, I looked at the younger boy. "She's just got a few issues."

"That's putting it mildly," Paul said before he took another bite of food.

"Everyone's got issues and no body's perfect," I found myself saying with narrowed eyes as I looked at Paul and he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I had seen the unbridled pain in Leah's eyes when she looked at me, and I felt the need to defend the girl even though I didn't know her as well as the boys around me did. "I doubt you're sunshine and lollipops all the time." Snickers met my ears as I continued to look at Paul who was now looking at me with slightly narrowed eyes.

"You know, when Jake told us about you, I knew I'd like you," Jared said and I looked at him to see him pointing at me with a chicken leg while Kim smiled at me. "You'll fit in around here just fine." I couldn't help but smile back at him and since the others were smiling as well, Paul being the exception since he was still glaring at me, I knew they felt the same way. However, Leah wasn't a fan of mine, and hopefully I could get the girl to warm up to me. I wanted all of Jacob's friends to like me, but it was obviously going to take a bit of work with her.

* * *

It was dark when all of us made our way to Jacob's house, Jared and Kim giving Jacob and I a ride; and all the guys were quick to jog over to where Billy was gathered with two people that I didn't know around a small fire burning in the fire pit I had noticed on my last trip to visit Billy on Thursday. Leah was already there and Seth was quick to settle on her right side. A woman with her long black hair in a braid down her back sat on Leah's left. Billy sat on the woman's left and the other person I didn't know was a much older man with long silvery gray hair, who Quil had sat down next to.

Jared had been quick to take Kim's hand before he led her over to the fire, but I hesitated as Jacob held his hand out to me. I met his gaze in the limited light around us and he frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly as he lowered his hand and shuffled his feet so he was standing closer to me. Thankfully, he had borrowed a shirt from Sam, so, it was a little easier for me to focus on his face.

"Are you sure it's okay that I'm here, Jacob?" I asked him in a whisper, the soft breeze blowing my loose hair into my face and making me shiver slightly since my cardigan wasn't terribly warm.

"I told you before," he said as he reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear so it wasn't blowing in my face anymore. "Dad gave the okay for you to be here and he's one of the highest ranking members of the council. Plus, Sue and Old Quil will want to meet you eventually and tonight is as good as a night as any."

"Sue as in Sue Clearwater?" I asked remembering the woman Charlie had told me about and he nodded.

"She's a council member as well as Leah and Seth's mom," he said.

"Oh," I said back and Jacob smiled at me. "So, is Old Quil, like, Quil's dad or something?" I asked and Jacob laughed lightly as he took my right hand in his left.

"Close," he said with a pause. "He's his grandpa. Now, come on. Everyone's waiting." He tugged on my hand before he pulled me along and led me towards the small burning fire and everyone that was gathered there. The man I assumed was Old Quil looked at me as I walked along side Jacob and Sue's eyes were quick to follow before both of them looked at Billy and said something that made Jacob's father nod as a look I couldn't quite make out crossed his face. A weird feeling settled in my stomach at the look and I stopped Jacob by dragging my feet slightly and bringing my left hand over our joined hands.

"Jacob, wait," I said quietly and he stopped walking as he looked at me. My slight panic must have shown on my face because Jacob sighed quietly and moved so he was standing directly in front of me, our eyes locking once more.

"I know you think you're intruding, but you're not," he said quietly, his eyes never wavering from mine. "However, I'm not going to lie to you. You are the first _outsider_ to ever hear our tribe's legends, but you're an exception to the rule." I furrowed my brow as I tilted my head to the side and looked at him.

"What does that mean?" I asked and he grinned as he looked at me. I knew that grin and I scoffed a laugh as I shook my head and smiled ruefully at him. "Let me guess, you'll tell me someday?" I asked and he chuckled as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, and I swear that day will come sooner than you think," he promised before I nodded my head and let him lead me towards the others. That someday really better come soon because I was going to go crazy with all of the unanswered questions I had piling up.


	7. Chapter 7

****Hey everyone! I'm sorry I didn't respond to your reviews this time around, but I'm updating at work (don't tell the boss) since I finished this chapter last night but didn't get a chance to post it. I had a free minute and thought I'd get it up. I'm not sure if I'm all that happy with how it turned out, but I'll leave it up to you guys to tell me if it's crap or not since I tend to be more critical of myself. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and adds; and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight. _Also, some dialogue by Billy in the beginning is taken from the film and aside from my modifications it does not belong to me in any way!

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**Chapter Seven**

After Jacob introduced me to Sue and Old Quil, we sat down on the log that was directly across the fire from where Billy sat in his wheelchair. Despite the warmth of the fire, I shivered once again as I tucked my hair behind my ears, but I wasn't chilly for long because Jacob was quick to wrap his right arm around my back before he pulled me close to his side. I smiled at him just as he looked at me, a grin on his own lips before Billy's voice filled the quiet night air.

"The Quileutes have been a small tribe from the beginning, but we have always had magic in our blood," Billy said, drawing my eyes back to him as I sat there, tucked into Jacob's side where it was warm and where I oddly felt safe. "We were great spirit warriors; shape-shifters that transformed to the powerful wolf. This enabled us to scare off our enemies and protect our tribe. One day, our warriors came across a creature. It looked like a man, but it was hard like stone and cold as ice. The lifeless bodies of members of our tribe laid at the creature's feet, springing the warriors into action," Billy said, his voice low, and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He'd barely begun and I was already enthralled as Billy spoke of the battle between the cold man and the spirit warriors that had came upon him, and I watched his face that was warmed by the glow of the fire in front of us as he continued on.

"Our warriors' sharp teeth finally tore it apart, but only fire would completely destroy it. They lived in fear that the cold man was not alone, and they were right," he said. "His mate descended upon the village, and she took her vengeance out on the villagers within it. Our elder chief, Taha Aki, was the only spirit warrior left to save the tribe after his son was killed," Billy said and my heart started racing as I rested my head on Jacob's shoulder, my eyes still on Billy while he described the ill-fated battle and the cold woman's rampage.

"Taha Aki's third wife could see that he would lose," Billy said softly and for some reason my heart lurched. "The third wife was no magical being, she had no special powers but one . . . courage. She took the knife from her fallen son's hand and sank it into her abdomen. The third wife's sacrifice distracted the cold woman long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her. She saved the tribe, but her sacrifice was a great loss to Taha Aki for third wife was his spirit warrior's match, his soul mate." For some reason, I rested my left hand on Jacob's knee and his arm tightened around me just a bit as Billy described the bond between Taha Aki and his third wife.

"Upon her death Taha Aki remained in his spirit warrior form, guarding her body from the other members of his tribe for one full day, before he disappeared into the forest, never to be seen or heard from again." I sniffed quietly as unexpected tears lined my eyes, and I felt Jacob's hand run soothingly up and down my right side as we all listened to Billy as he continued on. "Over time, our enemies have disappeared; but one remains. The cold ones," he said fiercely, a tinge of slight disgust in his tone as he stared at the fire for a beat before he looked around, his eyes dancing over the boys surrounding the fire.

I lifted my head then, a slight frown on my face because I was pretty sure Billy was no longer just telling a story. His expression was dead serious as he looked around and a quick glance at the group gathered around the burning fire that everyone else was taking his words seriously too. However, I wouldn't allow myself to think about it too much, because if I understood the story that Billy had just told correctly, the 'cold man and woman' were vampires, which would mean that vampires were real and the members of the Quileute tribe could turn into wolves to protect their people from them.

"Our magic awakens when they're near, and we sense it now," Billy said, continuing on where he had left off. "We feel the threat in our blood. Something terrible is coming, and we must all be ready. All of us," he said as his eyes landed on Jacob and me before his eyes locked with mine and I felt my stomach sink at the serious expression on his face. "It's time, Jacob," Billy said as he looked at his son, and I frowned. I wasn't sure what Billy meant exactly, but I felt Jacob stiffen slightly beside me, and I looked up at him.

"Now?" Jacob asked, his eyes on his father, and I looked at Billy to see him nod.

"Now," he said and Jacob sighed heavily before he lowered his arm from around me and stood. I looked up at him, my frown still in place, as he held out his right hand to me.

"I have to talk to you about something, Rory," he said quietly and I nodded before I placed my left hand in his. He helped me up and the two of us started walking towards the house. I could feel everyone watching us as we walked away, up the ramp, and disappeared in Jacob and Billy's house.

I wasn't really sure what to make of the feelings that were swirling through me as I followed Jacob through his house and into his bedroom. He had yet to let go of my hand as he turned on the light and guided me over to his bed before the two of us sat down on the side of his bed. For several _long_ seconds Jacob didn't say anything. He simply just looked at our joined hands that were resting on his right thigh and ran his thumb along the back of my hand before he sighed quietly.

"Jacob," I said gently and he turned his eyes to mine. "Has today turned into the 'someday' we've been talking about?" He gave me a small smile, but for the first time since I met Jacob I couldn't get myself to smile back.

"Yeah, Rory, it has," he said and I swallowed at the lump that formed in my throat.

"Okay," I said slowly as I shifted how I was sitting so my left leg was bent and rested on the bed between Jacob and I so I was looking right at him. His hold on my hand, however, remained firm. "I'm ready," I said with a cut nod causing Jacob to chuckle quietly as he shook his head.

"All right," he said before his smile slipped away and his eyes danced across my face for like the thousandth time since I met him. "May I do something first?" he asked in a whisper and I could only nod because it seemed like my voice decided to take a vacation at that moment. Jacob let go of my hand then and raised his hand to the side of my face. His warm hand cupped my cheek and I fought and won against closing my eyes at his touch. He leaned into me then and I knew what was coming. Jacob was going to kiss me and my heart was once again trying to escape my body it was pounding so hard. When his nose brushed mine, I finally closed my eyes as I tilted my head into his hand.

At first his lips barely touched mine, but a fraction of a second later Jacob's mouth seared mine with a fiery kiss. I'd been kissed only twice before and both had been awkward good bye kisses on the front porch at the end of a boring date, but Jacob's kiss . . . Jacob's kiss was anything but awkward. I could feel it _everywhere_ and I couldn't help but reach out and grasp Jacob's shirt in my hands as he wrapped his left arm around my waist and practically pulled me into his lap as our lips crashed against each other. I could have sat there, kissing Jacob for forever, but slowly Jacob brought our kiss to an end and I whimpered quietly in protest as his lips left mine and he sighed heavily as he rested his forehead against mine before his hand slid from my face and tangled into my hair.

I was dizzy as I tried to find my mental bearings, but at least I hadn't passed out like I had initially feared that I would because of the way Jacob made me feel by simply touching me. I was still wrapped up in Jacob's arms, half sitting on him and half sitting on the bed, while Jacob held on to me as though I was his lifeline and both of us tried to catch our breath. He turned his head against mine before he pressed his lips softly to mine once more before he pulled back. I opened my eyes as he moved away and Jacob sighed once more as he looked at me before he settled me back on the bed beside him, his hand leaving my hair before he once again encased my left hand in his right.

"That was . . .," I trailed off, unable to find an adjective that could accurately describe the way that kiss made me feel and Jacob gave me a small smile as his thumb ran across the back of my hand.

"Amazing," he offered and I nodded in agreement as I smiled back at him.

"Yeah," I said, "that was amazing."

"Hopefully, you'll let me do that again once I tell you everything I'm about to tell you," he said and my smile slowly left my face as Jacob once again looked at our joined hands.

"What is it, Jacob?" I asked him quietly and his dark eyes returned to my face.

"You only heard one part of our tribe's legends tonight," he said quietly as his looked at me. "What did you think of it?"

"Well, Billy's a great story teller," I said, frowning slightly at his question, and he looked back at our hands. Now, my heart was racing for a whole different reason other than the excitement of Jacob kissing me for the first time. It was now racing because I had a feeling that I knew what Jacob was about to tell me. The serious look that had been on Billy's face as he concluded the story; the fact that all the guys were freakishly tall, muscular, and warm; the matching tribal design tattoos on their upper right arms that they all sported (which I noticed for the first time at Sam's earlier that day); and the bond that seemed to be unbreakable between the group; it led me to only one conclusion, and I wasn't quite ready to handle it just then.

"Rory, the legends-," he started but I stopped him by pulling my hand from his, stood, and moved to his bedroom door so fast that I think I not only surprised Jacob, but I surprised myself.

"Jacob, I want to go home," I said quickly, my voice wavering slightly as I looked at him, my heart hammering away. He looked almost ill as he stood from his bed, his face had gone slightly pale, and when he took a step towards me for some reason I took a step back.

"Rory," he said softly and I shook my head as I looked away from him, unable to look in his brown eyes any more.

"I just want to go home, Jacob, I don't want to talk anymore," I said before I turned on the balls of my feet and walked out of his room. I went down the small hallway and stopped in the living room to wait for him, and he followed a minute later.

"I'll get my bike," he said quietly from behind me and I wrapped my arms around myself as I shook my head.

"Can you borrow one of the guys' cars or Sam's truck?" I asked, my back still to him. "I don't want to ride on the motorcycle tonight." He was silent for a beat before I heard him sigh.

"Sure," he said quietly and I nodded before I lowered my arms and with my back still to him, walked out of the house. Jacob was quicker to follow after me this time, and as Seth raced over to where I stood on the ramp outside of Jacob's house, with a bright smile on his face, Jacob was quick to intercept the younger boy moving faster than I had ever seen him move before.

Jacob said something to Seth, what I don't know since I was too far to hear and in the dim light I saw Seth frown slightly before his dark eyes moved to me and then back to Jacob with a sorrow filled expression on his face. Jacob just put his hand on the boy's shoulder before he led him back over to the crowd that was still gathered around the fire. Everyone was looking at me and as I watched Jacob walk over to Sam, I looked away from the group then, unable to handle their judging gazes, and quickly headed for Sam's truck.

* * *

Lights were on in the living room and up in Bella's room when Jacob brought Sam's truck to a stop in front of Charlie's house, and I was quick to unfasten my seatbelt. The car ride had been silent, but not the usual comfortable silence that often lingered between Jacob and I. It had been tension filled and awkward, something that was foreign for me to experience with Jacob. I reached for the handle of the door when Jacob's voice met my ears.

"Rory, I know you're probably freaked out, but please don't push me away," he said, his voice in a whisper and I swallowed hard, my eyes focused solely on the dashboard. I hadn't even been able to look at him since I watched him talk to Seth, and while I was tempted to turn my head when he finished speaking, I didn't.

"I need time to think, Jacob," I said, my voice quiet.

"How much time?" he asked and I finally turned my head to look at him.

"I don't know," I said. "A week, maybe two."

"Two weeks?" he asked sharply, and I simply nodded in response before I opened the door to the truck and quickly climbed out, slamming it behind me. I hadn't expected Jacob to follow me, but he'd done just that and easily caught me before I was even halfway up the walkway to the door. "Rory, wait, please," he practically begged as he wrapped his hands around my upper arms and quickly turned me around so I was looking at him once again. "Let's just talk," he said. "There's more for me to tell you, stuff I _know_ you haven't figured out yet."

"I can't do this right now, Jacob," I said tears lining my eyes as I looked at him. "I can't."

"You don't understand," Jacob said, his hold on my arms tightening slightly but he wasn't even close to hurting me.

"Please, Jacob, just let me go. I didn't ask for you to tell me any of this and I don't want to deal with it," I said, my tears threatening to fall as that familiar ache began to make its way into my chest for the first time in a week. With pain filled eyes, Jacob nodded, and let go of my arms. I turned away from him then, my hair flying out behind me before I ran up the rest of the walkway, the porch steps, and with trembling hands I unlocked the door and went inside. I slammed it shut behind me before I rested my back against it as my tears started to fall as the ache in my chest grew exponentially. Barely a second later a sorrowful howl echoed outside, and I knew; I just _knew_; that it was Jacob.

"Aurora?" came Charlie's concern filled voice and I looked up from the floor to see my mother's cousin standing several feet from me, his expression matching his tone of voice. "What happened?" he asked, his posture stiffening before he started to walk over to me. If I told him the truth, he'd likely think I'd gone insane, so, I just shook my head.

"Jacob and I got into a fight," I said, electing to go that route and Charlie scowled as he stopped a few feet in front of me.

"What'd he do?" he asked and I shook my head as I pushed myself up off the door and wiped at my face to get rid of the tears that continued to slowly trickle down my cheeks.

"He didn't do anything," I said honestly. "We disagreed on something petty and I'm just being overly emotional about it. It's no big deal."

"You sure?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said as I continued to wipe at my face. "I'm going to head upstairs, if that's okay." Charlie nodded and I rushed past him before I raced upstairs. The second I was at the top of the stairs, Bella's bedroom door opened. I glanced at her briefly as I made to go to my room, but stopped short when I saw the look on her face.

"He told you tonight, didn't he?" Bella asked me quietly and I blinked as I looked at her. Of course Bella would know Jacob's secret; that really shouldn't have surprised me since he had been in love with her, but it did. "That's probably why he didn't want me around tonight," she said more to herself than to me and I wanted to roll my eyes for some reason, but I managed to keep myself in check. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked and I shook my head. The fact that Bella already knew pissed me off, even though I didn't know why, and if I didn't want to talk about what I learned tonight with Jacob, why would I want to talk about it with Bella?

"No," I said evenly before I continued on to my room, not sparing her another glance. Once inside my room, I turned on the light, closed the door, and quickly changed into my pajamas; which consisted of a pair of green, black, and white flannel pants, and a black v-neck t-shirt. After running a brush roughly through my hair I threw it up in a rather messy bun on the back of my head before I used one of the wet makeup remover wipes to 'wash' my face for the evening. I didn't even know what time it was, but I was going to bed. I wanted to pretend that the last hour was all dream even though when I woke up in the morning I would have to face the fact that was indeed reality.

I wasn't sure what was going on in my head or why I was feeling the way I was feeling, but I was suddenly exhausted and after turning off my light, I crawled under the covers of my bed and willed myself to sleep as I tried to think of everything and anything but Jacob Black. After all, I was pretty sure I had just lost the one good thing in my life because, after what I now realized seemed like an outright rejection on my part, Jacob wouldn't want anything to do with me ever again.

* * *

The next morning I was up before dawn since I barely even slept the night before, ate a quick breakfast with Charlie before he went to the station, and then went for a run with my music blasting in my ears so I wouldn't think about anything that happened over the last twelve hours. When I returned home Bella was sitting on the sofa in the living room, but she was not alone. Edward and Alice were there along with a blonde haired boy that I hadn't officially met, but thanks to Alice's description of her boyfriend I knew the boy was obviously Jasper. I was covered in sweat, flushed, and panting; but I forced a strained smile at the small group before I headed for the stairs. However, before I could even take a step Alice was standing right in front of me.

"Crap," I said as I stumbled back, falling flat on my butt on the foyer floor. "How did you do that?"

"Alice," Edward said with a heavy sigh. "I told you to wait until we figured out how much Jacob actually told her." I frowned as I looked at Edward who had stood from his seat on the sofa beside Bella, who was also now on her feet. I remained where I sat on the floor and opened my mouth to ask what was going on when the question died in my throat as yet another realization washed over me. I now understood why Jacob _hated_ the Cullens and why he was overprotective and reluctant to leave me alone on the days he had brought me home only to find Edward or Alice at the house. He knew what they were. They were the cold ones from the Quileute legends.

"Oh my God," I said under my breath as panic swelled in me and I quickly crawled back from Alice, looking at her with wide eyes as I finally got to my feet.

"He obviously didn't tell her everything," Bella said and I took a deep breath through my nose to try and clam myself but it most definitely wasn't working. There were _three_ _vampires_ standing in the house that I now called home, all of them staring at me, and Bella was just standing there like it was all hunky dory. Hell, she was _dating_ one of them. How did that even work? I shook my head to try and focus, but things were a jumbled mess in my brain as I kept looking between the three vampires.

"Can someone _please_ tell me how any of this is even possible?" I yelled, my heart hammering away before a sense of calm came over me. My heart rate slowed and my fear and panic melted away.

"It's all right, Aurora," Alice assured me, her tone gentle as she offered me a smile. "We're not going to hurt you. We don't drink human blood. We only drink from animals."

"Animals?" I asked quietly and she nodded.

"We have a treaty with Jacob's tribe that allows us to live here. So long as we don't break the treaty by biting a human, they won't tear us to bits and set fire to what's left," she said with a smile and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. I knew she was trying to lighten the blow of the earth shattering news I just received, but Alice being cheerful about the whole thing was only freaking me out even more. However, I remained calm and I had no idea why, but there was one thing that I did know. I wanted Jacob, but even if I called him, he wouldn't come. Despite his hatred of the Cullens, he'd probably be happy if Alice, Edward, or Jasper had me for lunch because of how I had treated him last night.

"Not likely," Edward murmured quietly before he looked at Bella who had turned her eyes to him at the same time I did when we both heard him speak. "She wants Jacob," he said and Bella's posture stiffened before she nodded. I frowned because I hadn't thought I said that I wanted Jacob out loud.

"Outside?" she asked and Edward nodded.

"To the east of the house," he said quietly and Bella took a deep breath before she walked across the living room, past me, and out the front door.

"Where's she going?" I asked, the panic returning only to once again be replaced by calm. I didn't understand what was happening and because of the confusion that was muddling my brain I was on the verge of tears, but I held them back.

"To get your mutt," Alice said as she turned away from me before she was suddenly standing at Jasper's side.

"My m-," I didn't even get to finish my two-word question before familiar warm arms wrapped around me and turned me away from Alice, Edward, and Jasper.

"Aurora," Jacob said, his right hand gently caressing my face.

"Jacob?" I asked surprised as I looked up slightly at his face. He looked like he hadn't slept, his hair was a mess, and he was once again shirtless; but I really didn't care at that moment. "Jacob," I breathed, snapping out of my surprise at him being there, before I threw my arms around his shoulders and buried my face in his neck. He let out a sigh as his right hand moved to the back of my neck, gently massaging the exposed skin as his left arm tightened around me. I didn't know why, but just being in his arms made me feel better and safe.

"What happened?" he practically growled out, but I knew he wasn't talking to me since I could feel that he had turned his head so he was looking over his right shoulder.

"Alice kind of startled her before we had a chance to figure out how much you told her last night," Bella said, but I was too busy clinging to Jacob to say or do much of anything other than that.

"I'm sorry for that. I figured she already knew since you said she pretty much gave you the cold shoulder last night," Alice said. "It's frustrating because I can't see _anything_ for her since she met the mutt."

"Good," Jacob said firmly before I felt him turn his head back towards me. He pressed a kiss on the side of my head and I now felt like crying because it was obvious that Jacob didn't hate me like I had thought he did.

"I thought you would have told her," Bella said quietly.

"I didn't get to tell her anything last night," Jacob said, his voice clipped and tight as his hand still massaged my neck and he allowed me to continue to cling to him.

"What?" Bella asked.

"She figured it out on her own," Edward supplied and I felt Jacob stiffen.

"I told you I saw her going off to Princeton on a full scholarship before the mutt got involved. Now that's probably not going to happen, since someone's possessive," Alice said and both I heard and felt Jacob's deep growl.

"Jake," Bella admonished, but he didn't seem to pay her any attention as he lowered his hand from my neck.

"I'm taking her to the reservation," Jacob said.

"How? You didn't exactly drive here, Jake," Bella said.

"Don't worry about it, just keep your bloodsuckers away from her," Jacob said, his tone none too nice, and to say I was surprised by the way he had just talked to Bella would have been an understatement. Thankfully, I had regained my composure and even though I was still trying to wrap my head around everything I was definitely tired of being talked about like I wasn't in the room; especially since I didn't understand half of what they were talking about. I lifted my head then and slowly pried myself away from Jacob's body before I looked up at him. He lowered his hands, settling them on my waist as his tired eyes met mine. "You okay?" he asked and I nodded.

"Sorry," I said. "I think my brain was just overloaded with information and I had a small meltdown." Jacob shook his head slightly as he looked at me and once again raised his right hand to my face before he ran his thumb along my cheek.

"I don't blame you. It's sort of a lot to take in," he said quietly as he lowered his hand back to my waist and I nodded. I made to move away from him, but his hold once again tightened on me.

"I'm not going anywhere," I assured him, and reluctantly he let me go. I stepped around him, so I could see Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Bella, who had moved to stand beside Edward. Now that my little freak out was over, I had questions that needed some answers and so long as Jacob didn't leave my side I would be brave enough to ask them.

* * *

"You call yourselves vegetarian because you drink animal blood?" I asked from where I sat perched on Jacob's lap. He'd refused to let me sit on the sofa with Bella and Edward or anywhere else in the room completely on my own, leaving me with little choice but to sit on his lap. "That's kind of . . . morbid," I said and Alice laughed while Edward and Jasper both smiled. We'd spent the last two hours talking; Jacob had made it known that he was none too pleased that I wanted to ask the 'leeches' questions, especially since I had brushed him off last night; but after promising to go with him to the reservation that afternoon he let me have my way.

"Maybe, but it's more of an inside joke," Edward said and I nodded before I took a deep breath.

I was still trying to process everything, like how their 'dad,' Carslie could be a doctor and handle being around blood like he was without going crazy, or how they went to school which was pretty much like a buffet for them, or how Edward could date Bella without wanting to sink his teeth into her and drain her dry. I mean it only made sense that he would want to do that since it was his _instinct_, but he didn't; and I had to give the guy some credit. He obviously had good control of his inner monster. I saw Edward wince slightly before he looked away from me and down at his hand that was joined with Bella's and resting on her right thigh. It was then that I remembered Edward's special 'gift' that they told me about and I mentally cursed myself.

"Edward, I'm sorry," I said and he returned his honey colored eyes to me. "I didn't mean it like it sounded." Everyone was looking between us and Jacob snorted a small laugh.

"What did you think about?" he asked, but I didn't answer him. I kept my eyes on Edward.

"I really am sorry," I said and he shook his head.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Aurora," he said. "You're right, and it's something I fear doing every day."

"But you won't," I found myself saying and he furrowed his brow.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"_Because you love her with every ounce of your being, and you would rather die before you'd let anything happen to her,"_ I thought, my eyes locked with Edward's. I figured that didn't need to be said out loud. He raised an eyebrow at me and I smiled at him. _"I have eyes,"_ I thought. _"I've seen the way you look at her. You two are, like, in perfect sync with each other all the time. It's freaky." _It felt weird just thinking what I wanted to say to him, but the smile that Edward gave me was worth it.

"You're one to talk," Edward said and it was my turn to furrow my brow.

"Okay, what are you two talking about?" Jacob asked, sounding more than a little pissed off as his hand tightened on my waist.

"Nothing," I said as I looked away from Edward and at Jacob who was glaring at the vampire. "Is it okay if I take a shower and change before we leave?" I asked and his eyes left Edward and settled on me.

"Sure," he said and I stood up from his lap before I quietly excused myself from the room and went upstairs. With my vampire related questions answered, it was time to move on to my Quileute shape-shifter questions and hopefully when all was said and done, my life could return to relative normalcy. Well, as normal as it was going to get with vampire and shape-shifter friends.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, I was showered, dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater, and ready to leave with Jacob, but when I went downstairs I was surprised to find the house empty save for him. "Where'd everyone go?" I asked as Jacob stood from the chair he had been sitting in and walked over to where I stood in the foyer.

"The Cullen's house," he said and I nodded as I looked away from him to put on my black hiking boots. I could feel him watching me, his eyes practically burning into my skin and yet goose bumps rushed up and down my arms and along my back at the feeling of his gaze on me. When I had my boots on I fixed the hem of my pale yellow sweater and returned my eyes to Jacob.

"Ready?" I asked and he nodded before I followed him out of the house. It was only then that I noticed he was barefoot again and wearing a tattered pair of khaki shorts that went down to his knees. "How are we going to get there?" I asked as I locked the door behind me after remembering that Bella said he hadn't driven there.

"Do you trust me?" he asked and to my surprise I hesitated. Twenty-four hours ago, I would have said 'yes' without thinking, but now I hesitated. Edward, Alice, Jasper, and the rest of their family scared me because of what they were, but Jacob . . . Jacob didn't and I hated myself for hesitating.

"Yes," I said after a beat and he held out his hand to me.

"Come on. We're going to run," he said.

"Run?" I asked as I put my hand in his before he led me towards the woods that surrounded the house, but he didn't say anything in response to my question. Once we were several paces deep inside, Jacob let go of my hand and turned to look at me.

"Stay here, Rory. I need to phase, but when I come back, please don't run," he said and I furrowed my brow, but before I could ask him what he was taking about, he disappeared behind some trees and shrubbery.

"Jacob?" I called as I took half a step forward. "Jacob, where'd you . . .," I trailed off when I heard soft footfalls on the ground, coming from the direction Jacob had disappeared, so, I waited, expecting to see Jacob sauntering back, but I was in for yet another shock of my life at what I saw heading my way. A very large, horse sized, russet colored wolf slowly made its way over to me. I took in a sharp breath when its eyes met mine because when I looked into its eyes all I saw was Jacob.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you all liked the last chapter because I was worried about how Aurora's reaction was going to fly. I hope you like this chapter, this is another iffy one for me; so, as I always ask please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

The wolf, Jacob, lowered his head slightly as he took two steps towards me. I was proud of myself for not taking a step back, but in all honesty I don't think I could have moved if I wanted to. I felt like I was rooted to where I stood as Wolf Jacob moved closer to me when he saw I didn't move. He was standing right in front of me, his snout was barely a foot away from my face, and our eyes were locked.

"Jacob," I said softly, "it really is you, isn't it?" His head bobbed in a slight nod. I took a half step closer to him as I took a deep breath through my nose. Hesitantly, I raised my right hand towards him and Jacob lowered his head slightly, which made a smile tug at the corners of my lips before I ran my hand across the top of his muzzle.

His eyes closed as my hand continued up between his eyes, over the top of his head and then around his left eye before stopped, resting my hand on his left cheek while my fingers were buried in his thick fur. His fur was surprisingly soft, but it really wasn't all that surprising that he was just as warm if not warmer in his 'wolf warrior' form than he was when he was just Jacob. He opened his eyes when my hand stopped moving and the two of us just stared at each other for several long minutes.

I still really couldn't believe that any of this was real, that Jacob and the rest of his friends turned into giant wolves, but there standing in front of me was even more concrete proof that my world had once again been knocked off its axis. Despite everything; my confusion, slight fear, and nervousness; I smiled at him.

"You're beautiful," I said quietly and he let out a huff, which I figured was a sigh before his head moved towards me. He rubbed his nose along my cheek and then licked the side of my face, which elicited a laugh from me as I took my hand off his cheek and wiped at my slobber-covered cheek. A gruff sound came from Jacob and when I realized he was laughing, I rolled my eyes before I smiled at him once more and lowered my hand back to my side.

"So, when you said 'run,' I'm guessing you meant that you'd be the one doing the running?" I asked and he nodded his head before he jerked his head towards his back as he lowered himself to the ground for me to climb on. I took a deep breath and nodded my head in return before I walked over to his side, however, I hesitated climbing on to his back. "Jacob?" I asked, my hands resting on his warm back, and he turned his head slightly so he could see me, his eyes locking with mine once more. "You won't let me fall, will you?" I asked, the same fear that I experienced the first time I rode on his motorcycle with him creeping up on me; but the look in Jacob's eyes squashed it before it could fully bloom. The look he gave me confirmed what I already knew because the look in his eyes clearly conveyed one word to me. 'Never.'

* * *

I'd never ridden a horse before and I'd imagine that it would be very similar to what I had just experienced, however, I also knew it would be very different at the same time. I doubted a horse would ever be as graceful or as sure-footed as Jacob seemed to be as he ran with lightning speed. Jacob had darted with so much ease through the trees that it was amazing. At first, I had kept my face buried in his fur as I had hung on for dear life, but after a while, just like with my first motorcycle ride with him, I had lifted my head and watched the forest pass us by. Much to my surprise I was actually disappointed when he started to slow down and came to a gradual stop as the trees started to thin; and it was through the trees that I could see his weathered garage and red house.

When he stopped, he wasn't even panting as he lowered himself to the ground once more for me to climb off of him, and reluctantly I did just that. It was a shaky landing, but I managed to remain on my feet as Jacob stood and turned to face me. His eyes pretty much told me to stay put and I nodded before he once again disappeared on me; and just like before, barely a minute later Jacob, in human form this time, returned wearing the same tattered khaki shorts he had had on earlier.

He was standing in front of me in barely three strides before he held out his hand to me. I placed my hand into his before once again, Jacob started leading me away. We headed towards the house and I noticed that Billy's truck was once again missing from in front of the house. We said nothing to each other as we walked, but the silence between us wasn't uncomfortable. At least it didn't feel uncomfortable until we were once again standing in his bedroom. Jacob let go of my hand then before he turned around to look at me. I wasn't sure what to say, but I really couldn't take the quiet anymore. However, before I could say anything, Jacob scooped me up into his arm.

I let out a surprise gasp as he actually lifted me from the floor and my arms instinctively went around him as he hugged me tight, his face buried in the crook my neck. I closed my eyes and smiled slightly as I hugged him back. Even though it had only been a few hours since I had found myself in a similar position, it felt like it had been days and I would never get tired of the feeling I got whenever Jacob held me close. After a minute or two he finally put me back down on the floor, but his hands remained on my waist while I removed my hands from his body and let them fall to my sides.

"Thank you," he said quietly and I tilted my head to the side.

"For what?" I asked him and he sighed as he pulled me closer to him.

"For not running away this time," he said and guilt filled me as I looked away from his face, settling my eyes on his left collarbone. I stared at his smooth russet skin, my posture stiff. I had yet to apologize for how I had acted last night, but the words weren't coming. Every way I thought of telling Jacob how sorry I was for basically pushing him away just sounded cheesy and insincere; and Jacob deserved more than that. However, he deserved an apology and the sooner I gave it to him the better.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," I said softly as I turned my eyes up to his face. "I wish I could tell you exactly why I said what I said last night and acted like I did, but I don't have a good enough excuse for it. I shouldn't have acted that way."

"It's okay, Rory," he said as his left hand left my waist and moved to the side of my face.

"No, it's not okay," I said as I raised both my hands to his left wrist and pulled his hand from my face before I took hold of it in both my hands.

"You were scared," he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders and I frowned. "I really can't blame you for that."

"Wait, Jacob, do you think that I was afraid of you?" I asked and I knew by the expression on his face that he had. "Jacob, I'm not afraid of you; I never was. I was, as lame as it sounds, I was overwhelmed. I could never be afraid of you, Jacob," I said softly as I let go of his hand and raised my hands to his face. He sighed softly and closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them once again, both of his hands resting on my upper waist once more.

"Good," he said softly as my hands moved to his shoulders, which, much to my relief, were no longer tense. He started to lean in to me, and once again I knew he was going to kiss me. However, I turned my head and his lips landed on my cheek. He pulled back from me and I slowly returned my eyes to his.

"I'm sorry," I said in a whisper and he frowned as I took a step back from him. Thankfully, he let me go but the hurt look that crossed his face briefly made me want to step back into his arms. "It's not that I don't want you to kiss me, Jacob, but like I said before I just need a little bit of time to completely process everything." He sighed then before he ran his right hand down his face and then through his hair as he turned away from me slightly and put his hands on his hips.

"There's more that I need to tell you, Rory," he said.

"More?" I asked with a slight frown and he turned his head so he was looking at me and he lowered his hands from his hips.

"Yeah, there's more," he said, his dark eyes once again serious as he looked at me.

"Should I sit down?" I asked, trying to lighten the suddenly tense mood, and Jacob let out a quiet chuckle before he reached out, took hold of my hand, and once again led me over to his bed. We were sitting as we had last night, but when we sat down, Jacob had let go of my hand and left a few inches of space between us; space that had not been there last night. "Okay," I said softly as I shifted and tightened the loose bun that I had thrown my towel dried hair up into after my shower. "What don't I know?" I asked and he let out yet another sigh before he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.

"You know pretty much everything, Rory, but there's still quiet a bit you don't know about me, about the pack," he said. "However, there's really only one thing that I want to talk about right now," he said as he looked at the floor in front of him, "and it has to do with you and me."

"With us?" I asked with a frown and Jacob nodded but didn't look at me. "What do I have to with your tribe's . . .," I trailed off as Jacob turned his head to look at me and his eyes met mine. My heart started doing that stupid racing thing again because I figured out what he meant. "Oh," I said softly as I looked away from him. I now understood why Jacob had done a one-eighty with his feelings concerning Bella after meeting me. He had no choice in the matter and I felt sick to my stomach.

"Rory?" he asked as he reached for my hand, but I pulled back from him and stood from the bed. He was quick to follow me as I turned to look at him and he gently took me by the upper arms. "Don't run, please," he begged and I shook my head.

"I'm not," I said and he shuffled his feet so he was closer to me.

"Say something," he said as he shook his head.

"I don't know what to say," I said quietly as I looked at him. "I'm your . . . what's the term Billy used last night?" I asked as I looked into his eyes. I couldn't remember what Billy had called Taha Aki's third wife during his story thanks to the shock that was currently running through my body.

"Imprint," he said gently. "You're my imprint."

"Meaning you have absolutely no choice in the fact that your world now mostly revolves around me," I said before I pulled my arms from his hands and turned around so I wasn't facing him anymore. I found it very hard to think straight when Jacob got too close, and now I knew the reason why. It was because of the connection, the bond, created by the whatever it was that created and/or controlled the Quileute 'magic' as Billy had called it last night. It also explained why I was already so comfortable around Jacob.

"Why are you upset?" he asked. "Rory, this is a good thing."

"How is it a good thing?" I asked as I turned back around to look at him. "A week ago you loved someone else, and now you're stuck with me. You're forced to care about me, someone barely even know, all because your tribe's magic says so. That's not fair to you, Jacob." He laughed lightly and shook his head before he took a step over towards me and wrapped his arms around me. I wanted to protest and push away, but my traitor of a body just melted into his arms.

"What wasn't fair to me, Rory, was loving a girl that obviously didn't love me back," he said, and I begged to differ with him since I knew that Bella really did have feelings for Jacob. She loved him, and I'm pretty sure she didn't realize it until last Sunday when it became clear to her that she'd basically lost him for forever.

Of course, she loved Edward as well and the reason she had 'chosen' Edward was because her love for the vampire was far greater than her love for the shape-shifter. However, she never got the chance to explore or even notice her true feelings for Jacob until it was too late. She'd lost him, and she lost him to me, a girl that was a complete and total stranger to all of them. It explained why she was suddenly slightly standoffish and indifferent to a lot of what I had to say over the last week.

"And I'm not stuck with you, Rory. Until a week ago I wasn't _really_ happy. I just went through the motions," Jacob continued, breaking through my inner thoughts. "Until a week ago, I had no idea what love really felt like. Now I do."

"You don't mean that," I said as I shook my head and found myself staring at his collarbone once more. It'd been a week since we met, a week, and magic or no magic it was too soon for him to say or even truly believe that he loved me. He didn't know me well enough to say that he loved me, and love was a word that should not be thrown around casually.

"Yeah, I do, Rory," he said quietly.

"Jacob, I . . . " I said as I returned my eyes to his, but whatever I had been about to say was completely forgotten as I looked up at him.

The look on his face was one that I hadn't seen before; at least not on Jacob's face. I'd seen Sam look at Emily that way and Jared at Kim during my afternoon at Sam and Emily's house. I knew then that Emily and Kim were obviously Sam and Jared's imprints, but to see Jacob looking at _me _like that was a little intense. It was almost like now that his big secret was out, he had nothing to hide and the thin walls that had been up and guarding his secret were gone. My heart was racing again and I was mentally kicking myself to snap out of it because Jacob and I were just staring at each other as we stood in the middle of his bedroom.

"I know you've had a lot of stuff thrown at you over the last couple of days, Rory," he said, his right hand leaving my back only to cup the side of my face in his hand once again, "and I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. No matter what you decide once you've thought everything over, you'll always be able to count on me." He let go of me then and took a step back and away from me, which made me frown.

"I don't understand," I said as I shook my head.

"What do you think imprinting means?" he asked me.

"That you're forced to love me," I said and he shook his head negatively, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

"I'm not _forced_ to do anything unless Sam orders it," Jacob said and I raised an eyebrow. "I'll explain that later," he said with a small wave of his hand and I nodded, letting it go for now. "Imprinting isn't love at first sight, not really," he said and I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"It's not?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No, it's not," he said before that look came across his face again as he looked at me and I felt my face warm with a blush at the sight of it. "It's more like gravity moves and suddenly it's no longer the earth holding you to the ground anymore, it's her. You become whatever it is she needs you to be whether that's a protector, a lover, or a friend. So, like I said, no matter what you decide, I'll always be here for you."

I didn't know what to say to that, so, I nodded before I looked away from Jacob and at the wood floor between our feet. I liked Jacob, I liked him a lot, but everything was just all too much to take at one time. Standing there, I thought about the kiss that we had shared just yesterday before all hell broke loose, and even though I definitely wanted that to happen again, I couldn't be with Jacob that way. At least, not right now. I had had a lot of information thrown my way over the last two days and I had a lot to think about. I knew that things would defiantly be different between Jacob and I, and I was worried that taking a few steps back was going to hurt him.

"What are you thinking about that put _that_ expression on your face?" he asked, once again bringing me back to reality and out of my head, and I looked up at him.

"Huh? What expression?" I asked and he shuffled a little closer to me.

"You look like someone just told you that. . .," he trailed off as his cheeks tinted pink and after a beat I figured he had been about to say that I looked like I had found out someone died. I gave him a small smile to let him know it was okay before I reached out with my right hand and grabbed his left. He was quick to latch on to my hand and hold it firmly within his own.

"I was thinking about us, and what all of this means," I said, my smile slipping away, and he nodded but didn't say anything. "I know how you feel about me, Jacob, and I know you know that I care a lot about you too, but there can't be an 'us' right now. I can't . . . this is a lot to process, and I'm going to need time to wrap my head around it. Can you give me that?"

"Of course," he said his hand tightening slightly around mine.

"Thanks," I said with my small smile returning. "So, are you going to be okay with just being friends?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"As long as can at least see you as often as I want, I'll be more than okay with it, Rory," he said and I let out a relieved sigh. "Were you worried I was going to say no?" he asked with a grin and I laughed quietly.

"I was more worried about hurting you actually," I said and he raised a dark eyebrow. "We sort of crossed the friendship line yesterday, and I didn't want to hurt your feelings by going back over it."

"Don't worry, Rory," he said, "as long as you don't tell me you don't want anything to do with me, you'll never hurt me."

"Well, I can't imagine my life without you in it in some form or fashion, Jacob; so, don't count on that happening," I admitted, earning a breathtaking smile from the boy in front of me, which had me seriously rethinking the whole 'just friends' thing.

* * *

"Are you sure this a good idea?" I asked before Jacob rolled his eyes, took the helmet from my hands, put it on my head, and started fastening it in place. After our little talk he'd gotten dressed into a pair of dark jeans and a dark green t-shirt before he'd told me about the pack dinner that was being had that night at Sam and Emily's. I really didn't think I should go, but Jacob had been insistent, which was why I was now about to climb on to the back of his bike and ride with him to Sam and Emily's.

"You don't have to worry about meeting any new people," he said with a smile. "You met them all last night."

"Yeah, and after last night I'm pretty sure none of them are fans of mine," I said as I adjusted the helmet on my head and he chuckled.

"Relax, Rory," he said. "They know we made up." He turned away from me then and climbed on to his bike, kicking up the kickstand as he did so, and holding it in place for me to climb on. However, I was confused by his comment.

"How?" I asked and he looked at me.

"How what?" he asked.

"How do they know we made up? You haven't called any of them," I said and he blinked at me a few times before he chuckled once more and shook his head.

"Sorry, I forgot you didn't know about the whole pack telepathy thing," he said and it was my turn to blink at him.

"Come again?" I asked and he smiled at me.

"When we phase, we're connected telepathically," he said. "We can see what each other's thinking about, hear each other's thoughts, it's a way for us to stay communicate and stay connected as long as we're within so many miles of each other. It comes in handy, but its . . . automatic. There's no way for us to turn it off or block stuff out. When I phased at your place, Jared and Paul were on patrol."

"So, they know what happened," I said, really more for confirmation, and Jacob nodded. "Okay," I said quietly before I climbed on to the back of the bike and wrapped my arms around his waist. "How much more is there when it comes to your abilities, Jacob?" I asked.

"Not too much more, but once we get to Sam's I'll lay it all out on the table for you," he promised and I nodded as he started up his bike. Barely a second later we were on our way and I was once again holding on to him for dear life.

* * *

It was dark and almost ten o'clock when Jacob gave me a 'ride' home that night. He drove his bike, with me on the back, to his house before he had phased and brought me the rest of the way home in via what I was going to call 'wolf express.' I waited in the darkness for Jacob to phase back into, well, Jacob and a minute later he came walking over to me only wearing his jeans and t-shirt in hand.

I'd learned a lot about Jacob and his pack brothers that night at Sam's and despite my apprehension about going, Jacob had been right. Everyone, aside from Leah of course, had been welcoming. The guys had teased me for freaking out, but when I had gone into the kitchen with Emily and Kim to help fix dinner Kim had confessed that she too had freaked out when Jared told her about his secret. However, she'd had a crush on him for so long that she took it all in stride. I liked Kim, and I knew that pretty soon I'd get the much shyer girl out of her shell and the two of us would be good friends.

Emily's experience, however, was all together different from Kim's and mine; and one that I couldn't quite imagine having. I now understood why Sam only ever seemed to kiss Emily's scarred cheek and I also understood Leah's bitterness and the sadness I saw in her eyes when she thought no one was looking. It couldn't be easy for her, for any of them really, and I felt sorry for them.

"If you need me-," he started but I interrupted him.

"I'll call," I said with a smile and Jacob sighed quietly before he looked down at his t-shirt in his hands. I could barely see him in the almost non-existent light, but I could see him well enough. He lifted his head and took another step closer to me as he lowered his hands to his sides and looked at me, his expression serious and making my heart palpitate yet again in my chest. "Jacob," I whispered when I recognized the look in his eyes, but he simply reached out and took hold of my waist before he pulled me towards him. I didn't fight him, I had no desire to, and I figured that Jacob could sense that.

"Just one, Rory," he whispered back. "One kiss and I won't cross the line again until you've decided what you want; just please give me that little bit of hope." He really didn't have anything to hope for because I was one hundred percent sure that down the line Jacob and I would be together. However, after everything that I had learned over the last two days I needed time to get to that point where I could be with him like I wanted to. It was a lot to process and if he was willing to give me the one thing I wanted, I could give him the one thing that he wanted.

"Okay," I whispered as I raised my hands to his chest and he was quick to lean into me, capturing my mouth in a kiss. Like before I felt Jacob's lips everywhere despite them not leaving mine, but this kiss was different than the first. The first had been fast and almost hungry, but this one . . . this one was slow and my knees actually gave out causing Jacob to wrap his arms around me to keep me steady as he continued to kiss me senseless. Sadly, oxygen was needed far too soon and when the kiss came to a slow and reluctant end, Jacob rested his forehead against mine and the two of us stood there panting and barely breathing all at the same time. My head was spinning and my grip on Jacob's shoulders slackened when a sudden wave of light-headedness came over me.

"I love you," were the last words I heard before I, embarrassingly, passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. If I missed your signed review, I apologize but thank you all the same fore reading and reviewing. I hope you all like this chapter; it's another one I'm not one hundred percent on board with which is why it took me a little longer to finish it. Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight._

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

It had been two weeks since I found out about everything, and over those two weeks Jacob and I had become practically inseparable. However, we were still nothing more than friends, much to the rest of the pack's chagrin. The guys always had a comment or two about the status of Jacob's and my relationship; and whenever I saw them they never let me forget my little fainting spell two weeks ago, which they only knew about thanks to their mental link with Jacob. I had been absolutely mortified when I came to a few seconds after passing out, wrapped up in Jacob's arms as he kneeled down on the ground. Jacob had had a panicked look on his face when I woke up but I had just groaned in embarrassment before I had turned my face into his bare chest.

Jacob had laughed when I said I knew that would happen one day, but thankfully he didn't say anything as he ran his hand up and down my back in a soothing fashion before the two of us stood. The grin on his face that night told me that I had allowed his ego to go to a whole new level, but I didn't say anything to take him down a peg or two. I also didn't bother to address what he had said right before my world went dark for a few seconds, and thankfully Jacob hadn't repeated it since because if he had, I wasn't sure how I would respond. I cared about him, I cared about him a lot, but I couldn't say those words back to him because I wasn't sure I would actually mean them at this moment in time.

In truth, I was more afraid of acknowledging my feelings for Jacob than anything else because a very small part of me was worried that given the opportunity Jacob would leave me for Bella. I knew that there was probably no chance in hell of that happening, but now that Bella had realized that her feelings for Jacob went deeper than friendship, I worried that she would tell him and my world would come crumbling down around me all over again. It was truly an irrational and silly fear, but it was now my greatest fear; one that I did my damnedest not to think about, especially when I was around Edward. Thankfully, I had been able to avoid thinking of the subject whenever he was around, but my mind still wasn't at ease about it.

If I tried to talk to Jacob about it, he'd tell me I was crazy (like I knew I was) for even thinking of the impossible scenario in the first place. I supposed that I could talk to Kim or Emily and get their opinion on the whole thing, but that would just be embarrassing; especially since they knew damn well what being an imprint was like and the devotion the imprint received from her spirit warrior. They'd tell me that even if Bella told Jacob how she felt, it wouldn't change how he felt about her or me. They'd say that Bella was nothing more than Jacob's friend now that I was in his life, and no matter what Bella did that wouldn't change. Plus, I didn't really believe that Bella would go out of her way like that to hurt me, she didn't seem like that type of person, but when it came to matters of the heart there was no telling what people were capable of doing.

I shook the thoughts from my head as my feet pounded against the wet pavement of the road, and reached over to turn up the music blasting in my ears as I ran. It was a surprisingly beautiful mid-May day, meaning the sun was actually out that day. Granted it was a bit muted since there was a thin veil of clouds in the sky, but it was shining and warming the exposed skin of my arms, shoulders, and legs, which were exposed thanks to my tank top and cotton shorts, as I ran down the street. Jacob was on patrol that morning and Bella once again had plans with Edward. Alice had asked me to go shopping with her that afternoon in Port Angeles, but since the sun was out that day she cancelled our plans because apparently vampires sparkle like diamonds in sunlight. That had made me laugh, but I agreed on the rain check she promised me because according to her I needed to find the 'perfect' dress for the graduation party she was planning for Bella, Edward, and herself.

I had met the rest of Alice's family last weekend when I had gone to the Cullens' for dinner with Bella. The story behind the Cullens that everyone in Forks knew was surprisingly believable despite Carlisle and Esme Cullen's very youthful appearance. The story that everyone around town believed to be true was that Carlisle and Esme had adopted Emmet, Alice, and Edward; and took on as foster children Rosalie and Jasper (who posed as twins given their nearly identical coloring). Rosalie and Jasper were said to be Esme's niece and nephew, and I had to admit that outside the walls of their home, each of them played their roles very well.

Unfortunately, Rosalie didn't care too much for me, why I still wasn't exactly sure, but we got along for the most part. Emmet said that if it wasn't for my dark hair and lightly tanned complexion, Rosalie and I could pass for sisters. He'd winked when he said it, causing me to blush and Rosalie to punch him so hard in the face that if either one of them would have been human, Rosalie would have likely broken her hand and Emmet's face at the same time. I didn't see what Emmet apparently saw, which struck a jealous cord with Rosalie who I learned was his wife. Rosalie and I were similar in height and while her body was, in my opinion, much better than mine we had a similar body shape; however, Rosalie was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen before in my life, so, there was really no comparison between the two of us. Aside from ruffling Rosalie's feathers before dinner, it had been a pleasant evening. During the actual meal that Esme and Carlisle had prepared, Bella and I had been the only ones that ate, so, it had been a little on the awkward side for me, but I liked all of the Cullens, especially Esme and oddly enough Emmett.

Esme, despite the fact that she looked so young, reminded me a great deal of my mother and Emmett, well, Emmett was seriously like a huge five year old and he enjoyed calling me wolfette, wolf girl, and various other nicknames that associated me with the La Push pack. I'd been a little insulted when he said I smelled like wet dog, but Edward had been quick to explain that they could smell Jacob's scent all over me. I was pretty sure I had turned the color of a tomato when Edward said that, which made Emmet roar with laughter. Apparently, he took great amusement in my discomfort because he continued on teasing me throughout the rest of the evening despite Rosalie's death glares.

During dinner I had learned even more about the Cullens and how they became the family unit that they now were. Carlisle was a very kind and compassionate man, and while I still didn't understand how he could be such a great doctor given his . . . condition, I had to admit that if I ever ended up needing to see a doctor for anything, Carlisle would be the first person I went to. I told him as much when we had been talking, and that earned me a warm and flattered smile from the blonde haired, honey eyed doctor before he graciously thanked me. Why he thanked me, I wasn't sure, but I had just smiled at him in return.

Jasper hadn't said more than 'hello' to me that night, but even though Jasper remained silent I got the feeling that he 'approved' of me. When I had asked Alice why Jasper was so quiet, she had just smiled at me and assured me that he did indeed like me. However, she said he kept his distance because he feared that he would hurt me even though she had assured him wouldn't. Apparently, he had the least control out of all of the Cullens, but to my surprise I hadn't felt terror when Alice told me that. However, I'm not going to lie and say that they all didn't scare me just a little bit still, but I just knew that none of them would hurt me. Not only to preserve the treaty they had with the pack, but because they didn't want to. I found it a little strange that after that night I felt like I could trust them almost as much as I trusted the pack.

However, I swear Jacob had almost had an aneurysm when he found out that I had spent an evening at the Cullens'. He had gotten so angry that he left mid argument because he was no longer able to control himself from phasing in the middle of the living room. The next day we had continued our argument when he showed up after Charlie had left for the station and after Bella had gone off with Edward. He started off the fight by barring me from going to the Cullens' house ever again and that had only served to piss me off which led to an epic fight. It hadn't been pretty, low blows exchanged on both of our parts, and when it was over I was crying and Jacob was apologizing as he held on to me in an attempt to stop my tears.

After I had gotten myself together, we managed to have a civil conversation and we agreed to disagree on the Cullens. He wasn't happy that I wanted to maintain my friendship with Alice and that I actually wanted to get to know the rest of the Cullens better, but he had reluctantly agreed to 'let' me continue on as I was. However, if I was to do anything with Alice or the Cullens, I needed to call him every half an hour to let him know I was okay until he actually saw me with his own eyes. I may have thought that he was being a little extreme with his overprotective nature, but I also knew it was because he wanted to keep me safe and because, well, because as strange as it was for me to even think about, he loved me.

When home came into view at the end of my morning run I saw that Bella's truck was gone, meaning she was already off to see Edward. Charlie's cruiser was also MIA, but I knew that was because he was over in La Push on a fishing trip with Billy and several other older men on the reservation. Like usual, my thighs were burning as I made my way inside the house and I turned off my iPod before I pulled my ear buds out of my ears and stepped out of my running shoes. I headed into the kitchen, pulling my iPod holding from my arm and setting it on the counter as I got myself a glass of water. I was about to take a sip when I heard something hit the floor upstairs.

I froze, the glass poised at my lips for a beat, before I slowly lowered it to the counter and turned around. As quietly as I could I stupidly started for the stairs. It wasn't until I was already halfway up the stairs that I realized I should have grabbed some sort of weapon from the kitchen. However, it was too late to turn back now so I kept going. My heart was hammering away in my chest when I reached the top of the stairs. There were only three rooms on the second floor of the house, the bathroom, Bella's room, and mine. The bathroom was empty and through Bella's open bedroom door I saw that hers was too, so, that left my room. I took a deep breath and headed towards my bedroom.

The door was open halfway, just like I left it that morning before I went for my run, and with a trembling hand I slowly pushed open the door. To my surprise, there was no one in the room and there was only one thing out of place and it was obviously what had made the noise that startled me. The framed photo of my mom and I at Disneyland two years ago was on the floor by my desk, which was where it usually rested. I frowned as I walked over to it and picked it up, adjusting my grip on the frame that held the image of my mom's and my smiling faces. It was then that I realized that something was indeed missing.

The oversized white cardigan that I had worn to school yesterday and had sat on my desk when I took if off last night was missing, and I had _no_ idea why it would be.

* * *

An hour later I was showered, dressed, and eating a quick lunch consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a few of the cookies that Emily had sent home with me last night. I'd shaken off my confusion at my missing sweater and presumed that I must have put in the hamper to be washed and that I had just been over reacting to my picture slipping off of my desk. I was finishing off my less than stellar lunch when a firm knock sounded on the front door, which made me smile because I knew exactly who it was. It was just passed the time that Jacob was supposed to get off patrol, and as I opened the front door that was exactly who I found standing on the front porch in nothing more than a pair of jean cut offs.

"You know, if you keep showing up half-dressed, people are going to start to talk," I said and he rolled his eyes as he walked inside, closing the door behind him before he was standing right in front of me.

"They're already doing it anyway," he said and I laughed because I knew he was right. Rumors were already swirling about Jacob and I since he still picked me up everyday after school. Most people believed that Jacob and I were dating (which was sort of true but yet not), and everyone was surprised that such a 'sweet' girl like me would get mixed up with a member of the small 'gang' that roamed around La Push. Also, according to the lesser-believed rumors, I was already pregnant.

"How was -," I started but didn't get to finish because Jacob's entire body stiffened as he sniffed a few times through his nose before he went racing up the stairs. "Jacob?" I asked with a frown, quickly following after him. He was standing at the doorway to Bella's room, his brow furrowed, when I reached the top of the stairs before he quickly moved to mine. I followed after him and I heard him growl as I watched his fists clench at his sides before he turned to face me as I stood in the doorway of my room.

"Was someone here?" he demanded, his brown eyes going almost black in anger as he stood in the middle of my bedroom.

"No. Well, I thought I heard someone earlier, but one of my pictures just slipped off my desk. I must have bumped it or something last night when I was on the computer and it was teetering on the edge before it finally fell," I said, but that obviously did not sit well with Jacob because he was suddenly storming over to me. He grabbed me rather roughly, but before I could say a word he had thrown me over his shoulder and was rushing down the stairs.

"Jacob!" I yelled as I grabbed onto his trembling waist out of slight fear and to steady myself. "Jacob, what's going on?" I asked, but he didn't answer me. He just kept walking through the house, going out the back door and into the yard before he ran over to the trees. He sat me down then and I shivered a bit as my bare feet settled on the damp ground. "What's gotten into you?" I asked as he took several steps back from me, but once again he didn't say anything as his body continued to tremble. He simply started to unbutton his shorts and when he reached for the zipper my eyes widened and I quickly turned around. My face felt like it was on fire as I heard a whooshing sound behind me before there was a gentle nudge on my back. I looked over my shoulder only to see Wolf Jacob standing there. He laid down and looked at me expectantly, which made me sigh quietly before I walked over to him, my eyes settling with his.

"When we get to Sam's will you please tell me what's going on?" I asked and he nodded his wolf head before I nodded in return and climbed onto his back. I was no more settled and had fistfuls of his fur when he took off running at full speed.

It didn't seem like we were running for very long when Jacob was suddenly flanked by two other wolves. I gasped in surprise, my hold on Jacob's fur tightening a bit, but I knew that the two wolves were obviously one of the guys, or Leah. However, since Jacob was the only one of the guys I had seen in wolf form, I had no idea who each one was.

The wolf on the left was brown, a shade or two lighter than dirt really, but it was a pretty color all the same. Whoever it was he was huge, not as big as Jacob, but certainly in the 'very large' category. The one of the right was gray with black spots speckled throughout its fur and a dark gray muzzle. He wasn't as big as Jacob or the wolf on the left, but he wasn't small either. He seemed sleeker and he didn't seem to be running at full speed like Jacob and the other wolf. As if the wolf sensed my eyes on it, it glanced my way and I gasped. Just like the first time I saw Jacob in his wolf's eyes, I actually saw Embry looking back at me. I smiled at him then and he let out a little gruff noise before he returned his eyes ahead and we continued on.

They started to slow and I saw Sam and Emily's house through the trees when they stopped. Embry and the brown wolf moved away from us before a second later Embry and surprisingly Jared came walking over to where I sat on Jacob's back, both dressed in cut offs. Jacob laid down and I started to crawl off his back only to be left off by Embry before he and Jared started jogging for the house.

"What about Jacob?" I asked as I wrapped my hands around Embry's neck. Embry just shook his head and my eyes went to the trees in search of Jacob, but he never came out before Embry whisked me inside.

"We've got a problem," Jared said as we walked inside and Embry finally sat me down.

"What?" Sam asked as he stood from the table and I put my hands on my hips.

"That's what I'd like to know," I said and everyone looked at me. "Jacob came by to see me and he was barely there a minute before he goes nuts and takes off with me. What's going on?"

"There was a vampire in Aurora's house. Jacob could smell him," Jared said, his eyes going to Sam, and I rolled my eyes.

"Edward's there all the time and Alice and Jasper are frequent visitors," I said. "Of course he smelled a vampire there. You'd think he'd be used to it by now since he's over all the time."

"It wasn't any of the Cullens," Embry said quietly and I looked at him, my hands lowering from my hips.

"What?" I asked with a frown.

"The scent was different," Embry said gently as he shook his head, his eyes on my face.

"The red head?" Sam asked and I looked at Sam, my eyebrows rising.

"_Red head?"_ I thought to myself. _"Who's he talking about?"_

"No," Jared said solemnly and Sam took a deep breath, his broad chest expanding a bit before he glanced at me and then looked at Jared and Embry.

"What else do you know?" he asked.

"The scent was strongest in Bella and Aurora's rooms. Like he lingered in each room," Jared said and I swallowed hard. I had no idea what was going on, but I most definitely did not like the feeling of dread that filled my stomach. "Jake's gone to talk to the Cullens, see if they know of any visitors since we haven't had any come on to the reservation."

"Do you think this new leech has something to do with the red headed one?" came Paul's voice and I started slightly, surprised because I hadn't even seen the other boy when Embry had brought me inside.

"Possibly," Sam said as he looked at Paul before his eyes settled on me. "Aurora, why don't you join Kim and Emily in the living room." It was more of an order rather than a suggestion, and while I wasn't one that liked to be ordered around I just nodded my head and quickly walked away from the group, which now included Leah and Quil, both of whom I also hadn't noticed before either. I heard all of them start to leave, but I kept my eyes ahead of me and willed my stomach to stop churning.

"Aurora," Emily said, her smile strained, and I knew that she had heard what Jared had said by the look in her eyes. Kim's expression was nearly identical to Emily's and it was obvious that they were worried. Whether they were worried about me or Sam and Jared, I couldn't say for sure though.

"Hi," I said with a forced smile before I noticed the little girl currently playing with a couple dolls as she sat on a blanket that was laid out on the floor. "Who's that?" I asked, gesturing towards the raven haired and coppered skin little girl.

"My niece, Claire," Emily said, her smile turning warm as she looked at the little girl. "I'm taking care of her for the next couple of weeks."

"Oh," I said softly as I joined Kim and Emily on the sofa. "That's nice." Emily smiled at me then and nodded her head before she looked back at the little girl.

"Yeah," she said. "Quil's thrilled to say the least. It's been almost a month she was last here from Neah Bay to visit." I nodded absently, my thoughts still on the strange vampire that had supposedly paid a visit to my house, when Emily's words finally registered. I furrowed my brow and looked at Emily as I tucked my loose hair behind my ears.

"Why is Quil thrilled by Claire visiting?" I asked, frowning, and Kim and Emily both chuckled lightly as they shared a look with each other before they both looked at me.

"Claire is Quil's imprint," Emily whispered and if I had been drinking anything, I would have spit it all over the place. Instead, I simply choked on the spit I had been swallowing.

"W-what?" I asked loudly, drawing the little girl's eyes to me for a minute before she returned to playing with her dolls. "How . . . why . . . that's disgusting!"

"Relax, Aurora," Emily said with a laugh. "He doesn't look at Claire like Sam looks at me, or like Jared looks at Kim, or even like Jacob looks at you. Right now, he's her protector, her big brother. He has no _romantic_ feelings for her whatsoever. Sam assured me of that after I too freaked out when it happened."

"And Sam would obviously know," I said, referring to the telepathic link between the pack members.

"Exactly," she said with a smile. I nodded, feeling a little more at ease with the idea of Quil imprinting on a little girl that looked no older than three. I still found it a little disturbing, but at least contemplating it made me forget all about the random vampire for a little while.

* * *

It was quarter after eight that night when I heard everyone start to pile into the house from where I was upstairs in the spare bedroom. I had just finished putting Claire to bed, by washing her up, changing her into her pajamas, and reading the little girl a story. Strangely, the two of us had bonded during my afternoon/evening at Sam and Emily's house and I had been the one she wanted to help her get ready for bed. Claire especially liked my hair, which she tried to braid several times only to leave knots in her wake. Thankfully, I got them out and ended up putting my long hair in a braid for her since she wanted our hair to match. Much like with everyone else that has wondered into my life over the last two weeks, Claire already had a soft spot in my heart and I would look forward to spending time with the two year old again.

I was halfway downstairs when Jacob suddenly appeared at the foot of the stairs and despite being a little miffed for how he had reacted earlier I quickly jogged down the rest of the stairs and launched myself at him. He easily wrapped his arms around me as he held me, keeping me several inches off the floor before he buried his face in my neck and then slowly lowered me so my now sock glad feet rested on the floor. He pulled back from me, but he kept his hands on my waist as he let out a quiet sigh.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said as he shook his head. "I just had to get you out of there. That leech had been there while you there, Rory, if he'd wanted . . . I can't even think about it," he finished quietly as he wrapped his arms around me once again as he pressed me to his chest. I let him hold on to me, my face resting against his chest as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, however, I pulled back after a few beats and looked at him while his hands once again moved to rest on my waist.

"I understand, Jacob, really I do; but I live there, you know," I said as I let my hands fall to my sides. "Meaning I need to be home by eleven or Charlie will likely ground me for breaking curfew since this would be my third violation in the last two weeks, so, you can't keep me here forever."

"I know," he said heavily, his grip tightening around my waist slightly as he looked down at me, and I just offered him a small smile before I stepped away from him. I wasn't the least bit surprised to see that we had garnered a small audience during our little exchange, but I smiled at everyone, doing my best to ignore Paul's grin as I looked at Sam.

"Did Carlisle or the others know anything about the visitor we had?" I asked and Sam shook his head.

"No, but two of them, along with Jacob, followed the scent until it disappeared," he said. "None of the Cullens recognized it."

"Do they have any idea what the vampire wants?" I asked and they grew silent, all exchanging glances. They knew something all right, something that they did not want to tell me. However, before I could ask the question again, Jacob's voice cut me off.

"Was anything missing from your room, Rory?" Jacob asked as he walked around me so that he was standing in front of me now.

"What?" I asked as I looked at him.

"When you . . . when you went to investigate the sound you heard," Jacob said, his voice tight, "did you notice anything missing?" he asked and I shook my head as I shrugged my shoulders.

"I thought the cardigan I wore yesterday wasn't where I had left it on my desk, but I figured I had just put it in the hamper and forgot. I do that sometimes," I said nonchalantly, but Jacob's expression turned dark as he clenched his fists at his sides. His shoulders were trembling, which I knew was the precursor to him phasing when he couldn't control his anger.

"Jacob," Sam said firmly and quickly; and Jared and Paul were slowing inching closer to take Jacob outside, but I reached Jacob before the others did and I quickly raised my hands to his face.

"Jacob, calm down," I whispered as I forced his eyes to mine and I saw his upper lip curl slightly as he tried to turn his head away, but I held firm and kept his eyes locked with mine. "Jacob, please," I said, "calm down." I slid my right hand up the side of his face before I laced my fingers in his hair and pulled his head towards mine. I rested his forehead against mine, which seemed to be one of his favorite things to do whenever we were close enough "I'm right here, Jacob," I whispered again. "I'm right here." His trembling eased and his arms were quickly wrapped around me before he let out a heavy sigh, and did something I was most certainly not expecting. He turned his head and kissed me.

His lips were warm and welcoming against mine, and just like the two times before, I could feel Jacob's kiss from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I should have been angry and pushed him away since he had crossed the line he promised not to cross until I had made up my mind about what I wanted, but I wasn't angry and I couldn't push him away. All I could do was kiss him back, and while I knew that the entire pack was watching I didn't really care because all the doubts and fear that had plagued my mind for the last two weeks disappeared as I stood there kissing Jacob.

I now knew, with absolute certainty, that Jacob would never leave me. It didn't matter if Bella pranced around in front of him in barely any clothes or offered herself up on a set of silk sheets, because he wouldn't care. Hell, Miss Universe or the latest Hollywood 'it' girl could do the same thing and he wouldn't care because none of them were me. It was me that he wanted; me that he loved more than anything; and me that he would do anything in the world to protect. My heart swelled and the words were there, but even if I hadn't been busy kissing Jacob I knew I couldn't say them. It was too soon, and it was most definitely not the right time.

The kiss ended after what seemed like an eternity, and I was once again left breathless and panting as Jacob returned his forehead to mine as I clung to him to keep myself upright. I did not want to faint again, especially in front of everyone, but that was exactly what I felt like doing as I started to feel a little lightheaded. However, I kept my eyes closed and focused on my breathing so I wouldn't faint and embarrass myself even more.

"Shit," I heard a voice that sounded like Paul say quietly.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?" asked Kim before I heard her giggle at what I assumed was Jared's whispered reply.

"Do you think she's going to pass out again?" Quil asked, sounding curious, and Jacob chuckled as he lifted his head from mine and I forced my eyes open. Jacob was smiling, his dark eyes soft, and he was looking at me in a way my brain was failing to process fully at that moment as he raised his right hand and tucked a few wayward strands of hair that had worked free of my braid behind my ear.

"I'm sorry I crossed the line," he whispered to me as he ran his fingers along my jaw. "I . . . I couldn't help it."

"I won't hold it against you," I found myself whispering back and Jacob smiled as he started to lower his hand, but I wasn't finished, "as long as you promise to do that again and often." His hand froze while his eyes widened and his eyebrows rose. The guys snickered and chuckled, which made my already flushed cheeks heat a little more. I heard a soft 'awe' that I knew belonged to Emily and a scoff that was undoubtedly Leah, but I didn't care. The only person's reaction to my words that I cared about was Jacob's, and the slow smile that made its way across his lips made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

"Does that mean . . .," he trailed off and I nodded.

"Yeah, and you still owe me a date."


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. Again, I tried to respond to everyone's signed review(s) but if I missed you I'm sorry. This one took a little longer to get out because I got a lovely ear infection and was out for the count for a few days. I'm much better even though I still really can't hear out of my left ear but all is good. :) Anyway, this chapter jumps around a little bit and is probably more of a filler chapter, but I hope you all like it just the same. I've already got part of the next chapter written, so, you guys might get another one before weekend is over! Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_ nor some of the dialouge in this chapter which comes from the 'Eclipse' movie.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Thanks to the unknown visitor Jacob and Sam had worked out an agreement with Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens. The Cullens and pack would take turns watching over Charlie, Bella, and I as well as search for the visitor and some redheaded vampire named Victoria that wanted to kill Bella. When I had asked who Victoria was Alice gave me a quick rundown. Apparently there was some big drama shortly after Bella had moved to Forks involving a nomad tracker vampire that wanted Bella's blood.

He'd been this Victoria's mate and since Edward and the rest of the Cullens killed him, Victoria wanted to make Edward suffer and to do that she wanted to kill Bella. So, needless to say my first official date with Jacob was put on an indefinite hold until things sorted themselves out. I wasn't sure how long that was going to be, but it wasn't like Jacob and I wouldn't be together on a regular basis. Especially since Carlisle had inadvertently planted a seed in Jacob's head when he said that our unknown visitor could be drawn to both Bella and I since he or she had taken articles of clothing from both of us. When Jacob had asked what he meant by that, Carlisle had reluctantly said that my 'scent' was almost as tempting as Bella's, especially when the wet dog smell, which covered up my scent after I had been around Jacob and the other pack members for a while, wasn't too overpowering.

It had only been a few of days since they made the agreement and things were strenuous to say the least between the Cullens and the pack, but things were going as smoothly as possible when two mortal enemies attempted to work together. Jacob barely let me out of his sight since that conversation with the Cullens on Sunday morning, and while I was sitting in my second period class that Thursday he was settled outside in his wolf form and hidden within the trees that surrounded the school. I had tried to tell him that since Edward and Alice were there that he didn't need to stand guard outside, but he acted like he didn't hear me as he kissed my temple and told me to have a good day before he said that he'd be waiting for me after school.

I was finding it hard to concentrate on the lecture Mr. Watson, my history teacher, was giving, but my mind was in a million different places. Thankfully, he gave us the last ten minutes of class to work on the worksheet he had handed out that was due tomorrow, and I slid down slightly in my seat as I stared at the light blue paper. I didn't really want to work on the worksheet right then, and I knew I could get it done at home tonight. After a minute, I turned my eyes towards the windows when I hear rain starting to pelt against the glass and I sighed heavily.

I was now even more worried about Jacob since the rain was coming down at a pretty steady pace and the trees probably weren't giving him much cover because of it. I knew that he wouldn't get sick thanks to his wolf abilities, but I didn't like the idea of him sitting out there in the rain because he was too stubborn to listen to reason. We would have to have a talk later because while I trusted Jacob's judgment and everything, he needed to loosen his reigns a bit. He was going to run himself in the ground and when or if the time came that this visitor or Victoria made a move, he wouldn't be at one hundred percent and he could get hurt or worse. I couldn't even _think_ of that happening because it made me feel sick to my stomach, and if anything did happen to Jacob, I knew that I would not be okay in any sense of the word.

"You're Aurora, right?" a low tenor voice asked, drawing me from my thoughts, and I mentally laughed to myself. Not to be conceited, but everyone knew who I was before I even started going to Forks High School, and I'd been going to classes there for almost a month now. I knew that everyone in the small school knew my name, especially since there were plenty of rumors swirling around out there about my relationship with Jacob and just me in general. I turned my head to the right to look at the sandy haired boy that had sat next to me every day for the last three and a half weeks but never said so much as 'hello' to me before, and smiled.

"Yeah," I said lightly and he smiled at me.

"I'm Matt," he said as he put his right hand on his chest.

"Nice to meet you," I said out of my need to be polite and his smile widened as he leaned back in his seat. I'd seen Matt around school and in the cafeteria at lunchtime when I would sit with Bella, Edward, Alice, and the rest of Bella's friends. I guess he could have been considered cute with his light green eyes and dimples, but since meeting Jacob my view on guys' looks had become seriously skewed. I knew Matt was on the popular end of the spectrum in school, and I swear there wasn't a day that I had seen him without his letterman's jacket on.

"How do you like Forks so far?" he asked and I shrugged, trying to play indifferent. It wasn't that I didn't like the guy, I didn't know him enough to like him or dislike him, but the way he was smiling at me was kind of creeping me out. He was trying hard to be polite and I was wondering why he was even trying in the first place.

"It's nice," I said and he nodded before he looked away from me. I let out a quiet sigh of relief thinking that he was going to work on his worksheet and leave me alone, but I wasn't so lucky.

"You live with Chief Swan and Bella, right?" he asked and took a deep breath through my nose.

"Yes, they're my cousins," I said and he nodded again.

"Since you're Bella's cousin, you hang out with her and her boyfriend, Edward Cullen, right?" he asked.

"I do," I said slowly as I started to frown and he ran his hand through his shaggy hair.

"That means you're probably going to the party at the Cullen's house that Alice is having for their graduation in a couple of weeks," he said and I mentally rolled my eyes because I finally caught on to just _why_ the boy was taking to me. He wanted a favor even though he didn't know me.

In spite of the unknown visitor and Victoria, Alice was still going through with her plans for a big graduation party. On Monday she had hand delivered invites to the entire senior class to celebrate their graduation at her house, leaving out pretty much everyone else except for me. I was the only non-senior that was going to be in attendance at the party, and it seemed like Matt was trying to weasel out an invite from me for him and likely his friends as well.

"It does," I said after a beat, finally responding to his inquiry, and his beamed another creepy smile my way.

"Well, do you think you could talk to Alice and maybe get her to invite my friends and me?" he asked and I sighed quietly. I had to admit that the guy had balls to ask me what he wanted out of me after barely a minute of conversation, and while I was tempted to be a bitch to him and brush him off, I didn't. It wouldn't do me any good in the eyes of my fellow classmates if I did that, and while I was content with the friends that I had, I would have liked to have a friend or two that wasn't some sort of supernatural being (excluding Emily and Kim of course). It would also be nice to have a distraction from the craziness that had become my life since moving to Forks by having a friend who knew nothing about what was going on; maybe then I wouldn't constantly worry about Jacob, the guys, and the Cullens.

"Alice Cullen isn't really someone you can convince to do something she doesn't want to, but I can try," I said and despite the slightly crestfallen look that darted across his face he smiled.

"Thanks," he said and I gave him a small smile in return. "So, is it true you're dating that huge guy from the reservation that's always coming around?" He sounded hesitant when he asked the question, almost like he was afraid to ask it, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Yes," I said, still smiling, "and his name is Jacob."

"Cool," Matt said slowly as he nodded his head before he looked away from me.

"He's nothing like people say he is, you know," I said and Matt looked at me once more. "He's not in a gang or anything like that. He's actually a really nice guy."

"No offense, but when I've seen him after school when he's waiting for you he doesn't look _nice_," he said and I laughed lightly as I tucked my hair behind my ears. I was once again wearing my hair in a long braid, but a few strands had escaped, like always.

"He's got an intimidation factor that's for sure," I said, "but he really is nice once you get to know him."

"If you say so," Matt said with a smile and I laughed again, thankful for the slight distraction for my worry about Jacob. Matt and I continued to talk about nothing in particular after that, but I had a feeling he was being nice just to make sure that I would go forward with my promise to try and get him and his friends invited to the party Alice was throwing. When class ended Matt patted my shoulder and gave me a thumbs up as he left and I rolled my eyes as I left the classroom, adjusting the strap of my backpack on my shoulder.

Of course, I had no plans on asking Alice anything because I knew that Matt and his friends wouldn't be invited. Since it was obvious that Matt was trying to use me to get invited to the party, Alice wouldn't take too kindly to that. Hell, I was pretty sure that none of the Cullens would take too kindly to that since they all liked me despite my connection to the wolves.

"You're right there," came a smooth voice from behind me as I made my way to the library, where I always spent my free period, and I practically jumped out of my skin at the suddenness of the voice before I stopped walking and turned around to see Bella and Edward standing behind me.

"Jeez, you scared me," I said as I looked at Edward, our eyes almost even, and the boy grinned as he looked at me.

"I'm sorry," he said and I laughed as I shook my head before I turned my eyes to Bella.

"So, what am I missing out on?" Bella asked, a small smile tugging on the corners of her lips. Since I'd been let in on all the secrets that Bella had been keeping, she had warmed up a bit to me. We weren't best friends or anything like that, and I highly doubted we ever would be, but things were better between us than they had once been.

"A guy in my history class talked to me for the first time only to see if I could get Alice to invite him and his friends to your guys' party," I said.

"Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said lightly and she shook her head in slight disbelief, "but it's all good. I'm not going to ask her because I already know she won't."

"That's true," came Alice's bell like voice from behind me and I jumped as I turned around to look at her.

"Seriously, you guys!" I exclaimed quietly as Alice moved so she was standing beside me and I looked between Edward and Alice who were smiling. "Can you give a girl a warning or something because I'm losing years off my life here?" Edward and Alice laughed while Bella smiled at me and I couldn't help but laugh with them. However, our little gathering was broken up before we could say much more by the warning bell sounding and Bella sighed quietly.

"We need to get to class," she said and I nodded, my thoughts straying to Jacob then. I wondered if he was okay and if I should go and grab my rain coat so I could go outside during my free period to check on him.

"He's fine, Aurora," Edward said quietly as he put his arm around Bella's shoulders and I looked at him. "And he wouldn't be very happy with you if you went out in the rain." I huffed and nodded, knowing that Edward was right. He smiled at me before the three of them left me on my own, as the hallway grew empty. Turning on the balls of my feet I continued on to the library, my thoughts still on Jacob.

* * *

When school let out, I met up with Bella, Edward, and Alice before heading outside. I wasn't the least bit surprised to find Jacob's bike parked next to Edward's car and the boy in question leaning against the hood of Edward's car, his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in the black t-shirt and jeans he had been wearing when he dropped me off at school, but as we drew closer he looked far more tired than he had when we partied ways that morning. I picked up my pace a bit, fully aware that a few wayward glances were thrown my way, and Jacob righted himself as I drew closer. He smiled at me as he uncrossed his arms from in front of him, but I didn't smile back.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I sighed quietly as I raised my hands to his insanely warm face, where I ran my thumbs underneath the dark circles that were now present under his eyes.

"You need to get some sleep," I said and Jacob shook his head as he wrapped his hands around my wrists and gently pulled my hands from his face.

"I'm fine, Rory," he said and I felt the others come up behind me.

"No, you're not fine, Jacob," I said. "When was the last time you actually got more than an hour or two of rest? I'm guessing it was Friday night since that was the day before all this mess started. That's a week ago, Jacob."

"I'm fine," he repeated, his dark eyes serious as he looked at me and rotated his grip on my wrists so that he was holding my hands. "You need to stop worrying about me."

"Maybe, but you need to get your head out of your ass and realize that you're not Superman," I said, causing Alice and to snicker behind me and Jacob's eyebrows to raise as he looked down at me. "I'm serious, Jacob, you're wearing yourself thin and if anything . . . if anything happens, you're more likely to get hurt if you're not at your full strength." I heard someone shift behind me and I was pretty sure it was Bella because I could never hear any of the Cullens move around.

"Rory," he said quietly, but I shook my head.

"Please, Jacob, go home and get some sleep," I whispered as I shuffled closer to him.

"I'm not leaving you alone," he said and I sighed through my nose.

"I'm sure Edward, Bella, and Alice wouldn't mind me tagging along with them," I said and his grip on my hands tightened. "We've talked about this, Jacob. They won't hurt me." His eyes narrowed before he lifted his head and looked over mine to where Alice and Edward stood. I heard Edward scoff, but I kept my eyes on Jacob's face and watched as he raised an eyebrow. I glanced over my shoulder then, in time to see Edward nod and that left me curious, especially after Jacob spoke.

"Fine," Jacob reluctantly said and I turned my eyes back to him, "but I'll be by your place tonight." He had finished in a whisper, his thumbs making small circles in the palms of my hands and I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me chastely, the warmth of his lips and the tenderness of his kiss left me breathless and after the brief contact he smiled at me. "See you tonight," he said and I nodded as he let go of my hands and moved over to his bike.

Edward, Bella, Alice, and I climbed into Edward's car and I waved at Jacob before he pulled away and barely a second later Edward did the same, the four of us heading to the Cullens' house for the afternoon.

* * *

Alice had disappeared the second we walked inside, but Edward had taken Bella's hand before he gestured for me to follow them and I did as he wanted. As we walked further into the house I heard what sounded like a TV, and for a minute I was surprised because I didn't think any of the Cullens actually watched the TV that they had hanging on the wall in one of the many rooms in their house.

"_Seattle is in a state of terror,"_ I heard the woman reporter's voice and I realized just why the Cullens were watching TV. They were watching the news coverage about all the missing people and murders in Seattle, and I couldn't help but wonder why. _"Police are baffled by the escalating murders and disappearances."_ Bella, Edward, and I reached the TV room only to see Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle sitting with their eyes focused on the television. _"Theories range from a vicious new gang to a wildly active serial killer. Reporting live-,"_ the woman made to continue, but Carlisle cut her off by turning off the TV.

"It's getting worse," the good doctor said. "We're going to have to do something."

"It takes more than one of our kind to cause the damage they're reporting," Jasper said and I frowned, "quite a few more; and their undisciplined, conspicuous."

"It's newborns," Edward said and I blinked.

"What, like new vampires?" Bella asked and I was suddenly very aware of just what they were all talking about.

"Wait, all that stuff that's going on in Seattle is vampire related?" I asked as I held up my hands, drawing all the attention to me.

"I'm afraid so," Carlisle said softly as he looked at me and I blinked a few times as I lowered my hands back to my sides.

"Awesome," I said in a whisper, but I knew four of the five people around me heard it. "How do you know that it's . . . newborns behind everything?" I asked.

"In the first few months after the change," Edward said as he looked between Bella and me, but he trailed off and Jasper finished for him.

"That's when we're at our most uncontrollable," he said. "Vicious. Insane with thirst."

"Something to look forward to," Emmett said with a grin as he looked at Bella, who grimaced slightly, but said nothing. I realized then something I should have realized a long time ago, but didn't put the pieces together until then. Bella was going to become a vampire. I really shouldn't have been surprised, but I was and it wasn't exactly something I was _thrilled_ to hear; however, it was her life and it was her decision on how to live it.

"No one's trained these newborns," Jasper said drawing my attention back to him, "but it isn't random."

"Someone's creating an army," Carlisle said.

"Well, now we're definitely going to Seattle," Emmett said as he stood quickly and I frowned as I looked at him.

"Why would someone create an army of vampires?" I asked as I shook my head.

"They've been created to fight someone," Jasper said as he looked at me, but Edward spoke before I could.

"We're the only clan even close to Seattle," he said and I felt my stomach sink as his words registered.

"Regardless of why they were made," Carlisle said, "if we don't put a stop to them, the Volturi will. I'm surprised they've let it go on this long."

"What's the Volturi?" I asked, my frown returning, but my question was ignored.

"Maybe they're behind it," Edward said. "In Italy, I read Aro's mind. He wants me and Alice to join him, but he knows we'll never choose him as long as our family's still alive."

"An army could solve that for him," Jasper practically growled and I found myself taking half a step back as I looked at the deathly glare that was on his face

"Can one of you please tell me what you all are talking about?" I asked, my heart racing in my chest, and the four vampires looked at me while Bella stared off into the distance a slightly fear filled and concerned expression on her face. Carlisle gave me a small smile as he stood and walked over to me.

"Come with me, Aurora," he said gently, in an almost fatherly tone. "There's still some things we haven't told you." I swallowed hard and nodded my head before Carlisle put his cold hand on my upper back and led me from the room and towards the kitchen where my poor brain was undoubtedly about to be overloaded with even more information.

* * *

Edward took Bella and I home a few hours later, and I had pretty much been quiet after Carlisle told me all about the Volturi and what had happened the year before that led to the Cullens returning to Forks. He'd fixed me a cup of hot chocolate before he laid everything out for me, and it wasn't until everything was said and done that I realized he'd done exactly what my mother used to do when she had big news to tell me. I figured that Edward or Alice had something to do with that, but I didn't really care because I was glad for it. It was a comforting gesture that made the news a little easier to bear.

Bella and I walked through the front door and shared a look with each other before we both headed towards the kitchen where we heard Charlie shuffling around some papers. He looked up when we walked in and gave us both a tired smile. I walked over to the table and sat down, looking at the file and notepads he had laying out in front of him. It was a missing persons file, and I couldn't help but wonder who had gone missing.

"Did you have dinner yet?" Bella asked her father as she moved to stand beside him, leaning back against the counter and Charlie looked at her.

"Uh, no, I haven't," he said.

"What's all this stuff about, Charlie?" I asked as I gestured towards everything in front of him and he sighed as he looked at me.

"This kid, Riley Biers, disappeared over a year ago," he said, "and his poor parents have been papering Seattle with these things ever since."

"Do you think they should just give up?" Bella asked and Charlie shook his head with yet another heavy sigh.

"Well, I wouldn't if it were you," he said as he looked at Bella and then turned his eyes to me, "or you," he finished and I knew he was dead serious by the look on his face. He hadn't just added me in to make me feel better, and I had come to the startling conclusion that Charlie thought of me like I was his own daughter and nod the daughter of a cousin he hadn't seen or spoken to in decades. "Not ever," he added with another shake of his head as he looked between us and I felt tears spring to my eyes while Bella moved closer to Charlie and he put an arm around her. Bella and I shared a look, me with my watery eyes and her concerned expression. We both knew that after she was changed her in person contact with her family would likely end, and neither one of us were sure how Charlie would take that.

* * *

Jacob hadn't come that night when I had expected him to and in all honesty I was a little miffed. I had wanted to see him if only for a few minutes because after everything I had learned that night I just wanted him to hold me for a little while, tell me I had nothing to worry about, and give me that small slice of comfort that I was looking for, but he'd been a no show and he hadn't even bothered to call.

It was quarter past ten and I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed, while Charlie was watching the news downstairs. Bella had already turned in for the night with Edward at her side. I had learned not too long ago that he spent his nights with Bella, holding her while she slept since vampires didn't sleep, and I would admit to no one that I was slightly jealous of that little fact of their relationship. However, I was currently angry with my boyfriend of less than a week as I pulled my hair up into a messy bun on the back of my head, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and changed into my cotton shorts and two sizes too big gray t-shirt. He could have at least called me and told me he wasn't coming over anymore, that way I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up to see him.

Once I was changed and cleaned up, I left the bathroom and went into my bedroom only to hold back a scream when I saw someone standing at my desk holding the framed picture of my mom and me in his hands. It took me less than a second to recognize the bare broad shoulders and ink black hair, but his sudden and unexpected appearance in my room scared me to death.

"Jacob," I hissed in a whisper when he looked at me and I hastily closed my bedroom door. "What are you doing here?" I asked him quietly as I walked further into my room and he smiled as he sat down the photo before he met me halfway.

"I told you that I would come over tonight," he said, his eyes doing a quick scan of my body and I remembered then that I wasn't wearing a bra so I felt my face warm in a blush. Thankfully, my shirt was too big for him to really notice anything, but knowing Jacob's keen eyesight he could tell.

"How'd you even get in here?" I asked. "I doubt Charlie would let you come up to my room and wait for me, let alone pay a visit this time of night." My heart was racing when I realized that this was the first time Jacob had been in my room. I didn't count the brief time he was in there when he picked up the visiting vampire's scent since he'd only been in there for a second and by the way he seemed completely at ease in my room I had a feeling he'd been in there a while. There was no telling what he'd been up to while I had been getting ready for bed.

"Just like the night you passed out, Edward lent a hand," he said and my blush only deepened when he took hold of me by the upper waist and pulled me close to him.

"I'm going to have to have a talk with him about letting strange boys into my bedroom at night," I said as I pushed away from Jacob and walked around him towards my nightstand.

"Why are you upset?" he asked with a sigh as I picked up my alarm clock and set it to go off at five, but I didn't answer him. "Rory," he said gently before I felt his hands on my hips as I put my alarm clock back down on my nightstand and he turned me around so I was facing him. "What'd I do?" he asked and I sighed as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You could have at least told me what _time_ you were coming over," I said as I looked up at him. "I was expecting you to come earlier and I . . .," I trailed off when I felt traitorous tears prickle at the corners of my eyes and his grip tightened on my waist. "I needed you," I finished in a whisper and he frowned.

"Why didn't you call?" he asked and I shook my head.

"I don't know," I whispered realizing that I could have called Billy, but didn't. "I've had a lot thrown at me tonight and I guess I wasn't thinking."

"What happened?" he asked and I shook my head as I uncrossed my arms.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck and he was quick to envelop me in his arms. "Can you stay?" I asked and he seemed surprised.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"Can you stay with me tonight and just hold me, Jacob?" I asked and he raised his right hand to my face.

"Are you sure you want me to? You'll get a little over heated if I hold you all night," he said softly and I shook my head as a tear made its way down my cheek. I wasn't sure why I was crying or why I suddenly felt so vulnerable, but I just needed Jacob that night and I didn't want him to leave me.

"I don't care," I said as I rested my head on his bare chest and closed my eyes. "Just, please, stay with me, Jacob." His right hand moved to rest on the back of my neck and his left arm tightened around me as he pressed me even tighter to his body.

"Okay," he said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere, Rory," he promised and I buried my face in his chest, "but we might want to open a window. That way you won't get too warm and pass out on me again." His tone had turned teasing and light, and I knew he was trying to help break me out of my suddenly melancholy mood, and it worked a little bit. I laughed lightly as I lifted my head and looked up at him.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" I asked and he shook his head, a crooked grin on his lips.

"Nope," he said, popping the p sound as he did and I smiled a teary eyed smile at him before he kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes at the contact and for the first time that day I felt completely at ease.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one as well, and as I always say, please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_ and I do not own some the dialogue which was taken from the movie 'Eclipse.'

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

"Is the whole town in here?" I asked Charlie in a whisper as we settled into our seats in the auditorium two weeks later to watch Bella, Edward, and Alice graduate from high school. He chuckled as he unbuttoned the sports coat he had put on that morning before he looked around and then turned back to me.

"Pretty much," he said dryly and with a serious face that made me laugh quietly as I crossed my right leg over my left and pulled slightly at the knee length hem of the pale blue and white lace summer dress that had been a gift from Alice.

I had tried to tell the small vampire that I had perfectly good dresses in my closet at home and give it back to her, but she wouldn't hear any of it. We never got to go on our shopping trip and she was insistent on me having a new dress to wear and I while I didn't understand why, I really wasn't going to argue with her. I knew I couldn't win an argument with Alice, and the dress was really pretty, so, there was no way I could remain upset with Alice when she'd bought me such a lovely dress. I even had the perfect white cashmere half sweater that had sleeves that went to my elbows that to wear with the strapless dress along with a pair of white ballet flats.

Jacob had opted out of coming to Bella's graduation ceremony with me because he wanted to run patrol with Embry and Quil. Before he left via my bedroom window that morning, he'd told me that he'd been lacking in his duties to the pack since he'd been pretty much consumed with keeping me safe and spending his nights with me; which aside from a few stolen kisses on his part were completely innocent by the way. Over the last couple of weeks, he had oddly come to trust the Cullens to protect me should anything happen if he wasn't there, so, he figured I would be safe. However, he told me the second he was done with his shift he would come to the party that night and that I would be lucky to leave his side until he took me home.

"I'm surprised Jacob didn't come with you," Charlie said, and for a minute I was surprised since I had just been thinking about Jacob. I looked at him with a curious expression on my face and Charlie gave me a small smile. "You two are always together," he said through his smile and I felt my cheeks warm slightly. I hadn't told Charlie that Jacob and I were a couple yet; mostly because I knew that he (at one point in time anyway) had wanted Bella to date Jacob because he liked Jacob far more than he liked Edward.

"We're, uh, sort of dating," I said and Charlie chuckled as he nodded.

"Yeah, I already knew that, Aurora," he said and I really wasn't surprised that he had figured it out. He was a cop after all and Jacob wasn't exactly subtle with his PDA sometimes. Jacob was always holding my hand, running his fingers through my hair, or just touching me in some form or fashion; and I didn't mind any of it in the least. "That's why I said I'm surprised he didn't come with you."

"Oh," I said lightly and Charlie smiled at me. "He had some stuff to do today; otherwise he would have come, but he'll be at the party tonight. Are you coming to the party?" I asked, hoping to change the subject as smoothly as possible and it worked.

"No," he said as he shook his head. "I figure you girls will have enough supervision with Dr. Cullen, his wife, and all the other parents that'll be there tonight. Plus, I've got plans."

"Plans?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of plans?" I swear Charlie blushed as he cleared his throat, shook his head, and adjusted the tie he was wearing.

"Nothing big," he said, "just dinner with Billy . . . and Sue."

"You know, that's the third time this week you've had dinner with Sue, and the first time that it's been with Billy as well," I said, a grin dancing across my lips as I saw his cheeks darken a bit more. "Is there something going on between you two?" I asked and Charlie was a little quick to shake his head negatively, too quick.

"No, we're just friends," he said, but I didn't believe him. He so had a thing for the pretty Native American woman, and I highly approved. Sue was a really nice woman and even though Leah and I didn't get along Seth was already like the overly enthusiastic little brother I never knew I wanted.

"If you say so, Charlie," I said and he pursed his lips as he looked at me. However, I was saved from whatever he was about to say when the music started and the graduates started filing in and taking their seats in the front rows of the auditorium.

* * *

"Whoa, Alice went all out didn't she?" I asked Bella as we walked up the stairs of the Cullen's house which was overrun by so many people. I couldn't imagine that this night was easy for any of them, but Bella and I had only just walked in and it was easy to see that everyone was having a good time. Matt had been disappointed when I told him I wasn't able to get him invited, and unsurprisingly he hadn't spoken a word to me since I broke the news to him. I, however, was not heartbroken by the fact.

"Subtlety isn't really Alice's forte," Bella said as she looked at me and I laughed as I looked around once we reached the main level of the house.

"You can say that again," I said with a smile and shook my head at everything that had been laid out. I was pretty sure I even spotted an ice sculpture in the other room, which made me laugh once more as I looked around.

Jacob would be coming pretty soon, and in all honesty I couldn't wait because I had been missing him all day; especially since I'd gotten used to him being around _all the time_. He'd called while Bella and I had gone home to drop of her stuff and for Bella to change before we piled into her old as dirt truck and headed for the Cullens' place. Jacob had told me that he was going to grab a shower and a fresh change of clothes and he'd be at the party soon after that with Embry and Quil in tow since I had extended an invitation to the other two as well. Out of all of the guys, I got along with Embry, Quil, and Seth the best; but all of them were as good as family already.

"Hey!" Angela, one of Bella's good friends, said as she and Jessica, another one of Bella's friends, came rushing over to us from the makeshift dance floor in the room on the left. "You guys made it!" she said happily as she hugged Bella and then was quick to hug me. I smiled at her as she pulled back only to be quickly hugged by Jessica.

"What did you guys think of my speech?" she asked as she looked between the two of us. "Was it too easy breezy? Too self-helpful? Did you hate it?"

"No, I think you pretty much nailed it," Bella said.

"Yeah, it was awesome, Jessica," I said agreeing with Bella and Jessica beamed as she looked at me.

"Really?" she asked. "It was like I was born to lead, right?" she asked and I smiled at her and nodded, not really knowing how to answer that question.

"Oh!" Angela said suddenly. "I love this song! Let's go," she said as she grabbed Jessica's hand and the two went back out on to the dance floor.

"So, do you want to dance or get something to drink?" I asked Bella and she gave me a crooked smile.

"I don't dance," she said and I gave her a curt nod then and smiled.

"Drink it is then," I said before the two of us shared a laugh and headed towards the right where one of the many refreshment tables were set up. I poured Bella a glass of punch and handed it off to her before I started to pour myself a glass. I started to take a sip when Bella's voice caused me to pause.

"Jacob, Embry, and Quil are here," she said and I looked at her before I followed her line of sight to see the three guys standing in the area that Bella and I had just vacated and I smiled when I realized that all three seemed to tower over anyone standing remotely close to them. Jacob caught my gaze and smiled at me as I quickly put down my cup on the table and made a b-line for him and the guys.

"Hey," I said happily before his hands were suddenly on my upper waist. He hoisted me from the floor, causing me to laugh as I rested my hands on his shoulders as he held me above him before he lowered me into an engulfing embrace, his face burying itself in my neck. "Glad to know you missed me too," I said and Quil scoffed as Jacob lowered me completely to the ground and I stepped out of his arms.

"_That's_ putting it lightly, Aurora," he said and Embry smiled while Jacob wrapped his arm left arm around my waist, his hand coming to rest on my left him.

"Yeah, you should have him heard his thoughts during patrol today," Embry said. "We were this close to telling him to just shut up and go," he finished as he pinched his fingers together, which made me laugh as I wrapped my arm around his lower back in return. Over Quil and Embry's shoulders I saw Jessica and Angela out on the dance floor looking at me with raised eyebrows, but I just smiled at him before I looked up at Jacob's face, not the least bit surprised to find him already looking at me.

"You didn't miss anything exciting," I said and he grinned at me before a throat clearing caused Jacob and I to turn around. "Oh, Bella, I'm sorry," I said with a light laugh. "I didn't mean to ditch you like that."

"It's fine," she said as she waved her hand and looked at Jacob, her eyes lingering a bit too long on him for my liking, and then looking at Embry and Quil. "Glad you guys could make it."

"I've kind of always wondered what the Cullens' place looked like," Quil said. "It's impressive, but it smells to high heaven." We shared a laugh, even Bella chuckled, and I shook my head at him before I felt Jacob lean into my right ear. I could feel his hot breath on my neck since my hair was up in a high ponytail and I suppressed a shiver.

"You look beautiful," he whispered and I bit my lower lip to try and control my racing heart when I felt him place the most inconspicuous of kisses on the outer rim of my ear before he pulled back. After a beat I released my lip and turned my head so I was looking up into his dark eyes, and I had just managed to refrain myself from kissing him senseless.

"Thanks," I said back and he smiled at me, his grip on my hip tightening just a bit as he pressed me even closer to his side.

"Aurora," Bella said, snapping me out of my Jacob induced stupor and I looked at her. She glanced behind me with her eyes and I saw Alice standing on the stairs with a look on her face that I know was associated with her having a vision. "We'll be right back," Bella said before I extracted myself from Jacob and followed after her towards where Alice stood.

"Alice?" I asked as Bella and I stopped at the foot of the stairs just in front of her.

"What'd you see?" Bella asked quietly.

"The decision's been made," Alice said, and my stomach sank. That could only mean one thing and Bella and I shared a look.

"What's going on?" came Jacob's voice from behind me, making me jump in slight surprise when I felt his hands settle on my hips. However, neither Bella, Alice, or I answered him right away.

"You're not going to Seattle," Bella said and Alice shook her head.

"No," she said quietly as her golden eyes dance between Bella and me. "They're coming here."

"We need to get Carlisle, Edward, and the others," I said as I looked at Bella, she nodded, but we didn't have to move very far because Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper were already headed out way.

"We can go in my office," Carlisle said and all of us nodded. I made to follow but Jacob's grip on my hips tightened, forcing me to remain in place before he turned me around.

"What's going on?" he asked again and I shook my head as I wrapped my hands around his wrists.

"I don't know for sure, but you're coming with me," I said and he nodded while I looked at Embry and Quil. "You guys too," I said and Jacob was quick to take my hand into his before we followed after the Cullens and Bella. I hadn't told Jacob anything about what I had learned at the Cullens two weeks about, about the situation in Seattle being vampire related and everything else that came with it, because I hadn't wanted to even think about it. Thinking about it made all sorts of various scenarios fill my mind and they were not the least bit pleasant to think about. When we walked into Carlisle's office, Carlisle was pacing slightly and Jacob was quick to pull me to his side once he, Embry, and Quil had situated themselves across from the vampires and Bella who was sitting next to Edward.

"They'll be here in four days," Alice said.

"This could turn into a bloodbath," Carlisle said heavily and I was once again rubbing the pendant around my neck for a bit of comfort that even Jacob wasn't able to provide at that moment.

"Who's behind it?" Edward asked as he looked at Alice.

"I didn't see anyone I recognized," Alice said as she shook her head from where she stood beside Jasper. "Maybe one," she said and Edward made a slight face before he nodded.

"I know his face. He's local," Edward said. "Riley Biers."

"The guy that went missing over a year ago in Seattle?" I asked, remembering the conversation Charlie had had with Bella and me two weeks earlier.

"The same," Edward said and I shuffled a little closer to Jacob, whose arm tightened around me, "and he didn't start this."

"Whoever did is staying out of the action," Alice said.

"They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision," Carlisle said as he looked at her and she sighed, sounding slightly irritated by that fact.

"Either way, the army is coming," Jasper said, "and there aren't enough of us to protect the town." Jacob's body was as tense as a board as he stood there holding me, and I wasn't brave enough to look up at his face at that moment.

"Hold up," he said as I felt him shake his head. "What damn army?" he asked and Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper all glanced at me, which made Jacob's body tense even more if that was possible and my heart started to race all the more as I felt my face flush.

"Newborns. Our kind," Carlisle said, sparing me from explaining anything just then, and I mentally thanked him even though Edward was the only that could hear it.

"What are they after?" Embry asked.

"They were passing around Bella's and Aurora's scents. A red blouse of Bella's and the white sweater that went missing from Aurora's room," Alice said and Jacob's arm tightened so hard and so fast around my waist that the wind was actually knocked out of me. I started gasping to try and catch it as my right hand fell to rest on his forearm around my abdomen.

"Jake," Embry said quickly and Carlisle took a step forward to help if needed when Jacob, realizing what he'd done, quickly let me go.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and I shook my head as I took a deep breath, wincing as I did so.

"I'm okay," I said as I moved back to his side. "Nothing's broken," I said, not only to appease him, but let Carlisle know I was fine. Jacob sighed quietly before he gently wrapped his arm around me that time, careful to mind where I knew bruises were likely forming, and he turned his eyes to Carlisle.

"These newborns are after Bella and Rory?" he asked, his voice tight as he held me close and I could feel his muscles trembling slightly against me. "What the hell does this mean?"

"It means an ugly fight," Carlisle said. "With lives lost."

"With Rory involved, we're in," Jacob said and I saw Bella's eyes widen. I knew she wanted to protest the wolves joining in, but to my surprise she kept her mouth shut. If I didn't understand the benefits of the wolves partaking in the fight, I would have been protesting until I was blue in the face because I didn't want any of them to get hurt. However, with the wolves' help the Cullens would likely come out the victors in the fight against the newborns. At least I hoped they would.

"Jacob, do you believe Sam will be open to amending the agreement we came to concerning Aurora and Bella's protection details?" Carlisle asked and I felt Jacob's nod.

"As long as get to kill some vampires, he'll be open to just about anything," Jacob said slowly and I looked at his face. His jaw was tight and his eyes narrowed, and for a minute I didn't see _my_ Jacob in the face of the boy holding on to me. He already looked like he was ready for battle, and with a threat actually looming in front of us now I knew that I would be lucky to be able to go to the bathroom by myself anymore.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked and I turned my eyes to the blonde haired vampire.

"They'll give us the numbers," he said. "Newborns won't know they even exist, and that'll give us an edge."

"We'll need to coordinate," Carlisle said and I looked at him.

"They're going to get hurt," Bella said quickly as she stood, finally chiming in on her disapproval to the wolves joining in on the fight.

"We'll all need some training," Carlisle said as he looked at her to try and appease her objection. "Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has," he said and I found my eyes going to Jasper once again. I didn't really know any of the Cullens' stories about how they became what they were, but I could see very faint scars on Jaspers face and neck that had always led me to believe that his wasn't a very smooth transition. "You're welcome to join us," Carlisle continued as he looked at Jacob.

"Name the time and the place," Jacob said easily, me still tucked into his side.

"Jake," Bella said and I just managed to keep my thoughts of wanting to punch her in the face to shut her up at bay so Edward wouldn't get upset with me. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Bella," Jacob said, sounding tired. "This is what we do, and if these newborns are after Rory, I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect her." That seemed to get her to be quiet because she pursed her lips as a defeated look crossed her face before she nodded curtly and moved to sit back down beside Edward. "Now, where and when?" Jacob asked, his eyes going back to Carlisle and I only half listened as they worked everything out.

* * *

When Bella and I got home later that night Charlie wasn't home yet, and our respected boyfriends would be joining us soon; Edward in Bella's room and Jacob in mine. However, they were working out some final details concerning the training session that was going to take place the following afternoon so they were going to be a little while, which was why Embry had ran alongside Bella's truck, hidden within the trees, and was currently on guard outside as we went into the house.

"How are you okay with Jacob and the others fighting?" Bella asked me the second the front door closed behind me and she turned on a light in the living room. I sighed quietly as I looked at her and stepped out of my white flats before I followed the path she had taken into the living room. I had fully expected her to ask me that question in the car, but the ride had been awkward and quiet the entire way home.

"Because I know that with their help the people of Forks won't be slaughtered and the Cullens will come out on top," I said as I looked at her and she shook her head.

"You don't know that for sure," she said, and I sighed yet again.

"It's a fight they can win if they work together, Bella," I said.

"You know that newborns are a hundred times stronger than Edward and the others," Bella said. "Jake and the wolves don't know what they're up against because they've never had to fight newborns before. They're going to get hurt or even killed. How can you care to claim about Jake if you're willing to let him die for you?" she snapped. "If you cared about him at all, you'd be fighting for him to stay out of it." I tightened my hands into fists at my sides and took a calming breath. I was taller and stronger than Bella and I could do a lot more damage than I intended to do to the girl, but it was taking a great deal of effort on my part not to throttle her across the room at her words.

"Don't you dare say that I don't care about Jacob, Bella, because I care about him more than I care about anyone else in this world," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and even as I glared at my cousin. "I couldn't stop Jacob from fighting even if I tried, and I'm not going to spend the next four days fighting with him about it because no matter what I say he's going to do what he feels he needs to do to protect me. Just like Edward is going to do everything he feels is necessary to protect you."

"You could stop Jake if you tried, Aurora. You're his _imprint_," Bella said. She had sneered the word 'imprint' as she spoke, and I realized that her jealousy over the fact that she had lost Jacob completely had come to a head. "You can get him to do anything you want by just batting your eyelashes at him, but it seems like you're happy to let him die, just like your mother." I heard her sharp intake of breath when she realized what she had said and I saw her brown eyes widen, but after that I saw red.

I let out a scream/growl before I launched myself at her, punching her square on the left side of her face, which sent her falling to the floor before I went after her again. Bella pulled at my hair while I was doing my best to cause as much damage as possible in my rage, and we were rolling on the floor when we heard the front door burst open and hot hands were wrapped around my waist before I was torn away from Bella.

"Let me go!" I screamed as I tired to get free but the steel like arm around me wasn't budging.

"Calm down, Rory," came Jacob's voice from behind me, but I was too focused on Bella who was battered and slightly bloody from where she sat on the floor beside Edward who looked like he was holding his breath as he handed her a dishtowel.

"No! Let me go!" I screamed again, but Jacob was holding me tight, causing pain to ripple through me as he held on to me right where the bruises were forming from earlier in the evening, but I ignored the pain and focused on my desire to continue to pummel Bella into the ground.

"What happened?" Jacob asked, and Bella said nothing as she pressed the towel to her bleeding lip and finally stopped fighting against Jacob, but I was breathing heavily and glaring at the other girl in the room.

"Bella's a bitch," I said, replaying the whole conversation in my head as I turned my eyes to Edward and the vampire winced as he looked away from me and to his girlfriend.

"How could you say that?" he asked her quietly and Bella shook her head, tears lining her eyes, before she looked at me.

"I'm sorry, Aurora, I was angry. I don't know why I said that," she said and Jacob's grip loosened, but not enough to let me go.

"I don't care how angry you were. You don't say something like to that someone, especially since you don't know what happened to her," I said, my own tears filling my eyes but my tears weren't tears of remorse like Bella's. They were a combination of anger and hurt as I looked at her. Even Jacob didn't know what happened to my mom, I'm sure Charlie knew, but I hadn't told Jacob yet because there had never been a 'right time' to tell him; and I never thought about it, so, unless Charlie did when Edward was around, no one knew what happened to her.

"What did she say?" Jacob asked, his voice tight, and I shook my head.

"Not now," I said quietly before I turned around in his arms. "Can I stay with you tonight?" I asked and Jacob scanned my face. He was angry, but not at me, and his anger slowly melted into concern as he looked at me before he nodded.

"Sure," he said quietly and I sniffed before I rubbed at my eyes to get rid of the tears that lined them. My hands hurt like hell, so did my head, but I would be fine come morning. His arms left me then and I turned around to look at Bella, who Edward had helped up off the floor.

"I'm going to fix up my bed like I'm sleeping in it, but in the morning do you think you could cover for me when I don't come down for breakfast with Charlie?" I asked Bella, knowing she truly did feel guilty enough to agree and when she did I didn't do much more than nod before I took hold of Jacob's hand and went upstairs with him in tow.

"Rory," he said quietly once we were in my room, but I was on auto pilot as I let go of his hand and walked over to my closet. I grabbed a small tote bag and began packing my bag for a night at Jacob's. My hands were shaking and I could feel the tears easily falling from my eyes as I moved about my room. "Rory," he said again, but I continued to ignore him after I threw a pair of jeans and a t-shirt into my bag on top of the underclothes, socks, and pajamas I had already thrown inside. I left my bag on the foot of my bed as I turned to get my toiletry bag off of my dresser, but Jacob grabbed my wrists and pulled me so I was facing him. "Aurora," he said firmly and I lifted my head up slightly so I was looking at him. "Talk to me. Whatever she said upset you enough for you to attack her like that, what did she say?" he asked as he shifted his grasp around my wrists and took hold of my hands.

"Can you wait until we get to your place?" I asked, my voice shaking. "I don't want to talk about right now."

"Aurora," he said softly, his hands leaving mine before he raised them to my face, gently wiping at the lingering tears on my cheeks.

"Please, Jacob, I promise that as soon as we get to your place I'll tell you," I said and he sighed quietly before he nodded.

"All right," he said and I sniffed as I looked up at him and as he ran his thumbs across my cheeks.

"Thank you," I whispered and he nodded again before he leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, which brought a little warmth back into my chilled body.

"Do you need some help?" he asked as he pulled away and I sniffed once more.

"Would you mind fixing up the bed?" I asked and he shook his head negatively before he stepped around me and went over towards the bed. I grabbed my toiletry bag and stuffed it into my packed tote bag, which I had moved to rest on the dresser before I grabbed a pair of running shorts out of my dresser and pulled them on underneath the dress I was wearing. I was redoing my ponytail and looking at my haggard refelction in the mirror when Jacob walked up behind me.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly and I looked at him as I lowered my hands.

"Yeah, I just need to pull on my tennis shoes," I said before I went over to my closet and found the black shoes I was looking for. I tugged them on and turned back to see Jacob holding my bag.

"I didn't drive, you know," he said and I nodded before I smiled slightly, trying to lighten my dark mood on my own.

"Good," I said and he raised an eyebrow at me as I walked closer to him and took my bag. "I like traveling by wolf better anyway," I said and Jacob chuckled before he kissed my forehead and took hold of my empty hand.

"Let's go," he whispered and the two of us left my room. I turned off the light and closed the door like I had been doing since Jacob had been spending the night with me, and we went downstairs. I could hear Bella and Edward in the kitchen, but Jacob and I didn't bother to say good bye. Well, I mentally said good bye to Edward before we left the house and started for the woods.

"Is Embry still here?" I asked as we walked into the trees and despite the darkness I could see him shake his head negatively.

"No, I told him to head home as Edward and I got closer," he said. "He told us to hurry up because he could hear you and Bella arguing, but he didn't know what about." I hummed in response before Jacob let go of my hand. "I'll be right back," he said and I nodded before he disappeared behind some trees. I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulders just as Wolf Jacob started to make his way towards me.

I smiled at him because it was always impossible for me to see Jacob in his wolf form and not smile. He huffed at me before he lowered his body to the ground and I easily climbed onto to his back. Soon he was standing and in a flash he was taking off into the trees. I buried my face into his fur as he ran and I held on knowing that soon I would be telling Jacob about the darkest night of my life so far, and I prayed that my instincts were right and Bella's were wrong about the upcoming newborn battle.

I prayed that Jacob and everyone else I cared about survived the pending fight unscathed, because like I had theorized so many times before over the last few weeks that if anything happened to Jacob, I wouldn't survive the aftermath. No matter what Bella thought, I loved Jacob with everything I had and I'd die if anything happen to him. Losing my mother was bad enough, but losing Jacob . . . there'd be no point in living anymore because it was because of Jacob that I felt alive again; and if he was gone, I'd have nothing to live for.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad almost all of you liked the last chapter, but I know a couple of you thought Aurora sounded a little New Moon Bella-ish at the end. It felt that way to me too when I wrote it, but I promise that Aurora will resolve the issues that are plauging her mind and making her think that way by the end of this chapter. I hope you like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Jacob stopped running at the edge of the forest that surrounded his house and lowered himself to the ground. I slid off his back and after a beat Jacob disappeared behind the trees. It was then as Jacob went to change himself back that I remembered that Charlie was supposed to be at Billy's for dinner that night. I turned away from looking where Jacob had disappeared and towards Jacob's house. Thankfully, I could see around the front of the house thanks to the bright porch light being on and I only saw Billy's truck parked out in front of the house. I let out a relieved sigh before I turned back around to see Jacob walking towards me. I held out my hand to him when he was close enough to take it, and he was quick to encase my hand in his much larger one.

"Good thing Charlie's gone," he said quietly as drew closer to the house and I looked at him. "I don't really know how I'd explain you coming to my house at nearly eleven o'clock at night looking like you do right now."

"Do I look that bad?" I asked and he gave me a crooked smile.

"Not as bad as Bella looked," he said and I blushed at being called out on the damage that I inflicted on my cousin. "She's going to at least have a black eye and a busted up lip for a while. Remind me not to get on your bad side." He was teasing me of course because I knew that if I ever did punch Jacob I'd end up with a broken hand. I forced a smile at him as we walked up the ramp towards the house and he sighed quietly before he led me inside.

"Jacob? That you?" came Billy's voice and Jacob kissed my forehead before he closed the front door.

"It's me, Dad, and I hope you don't mind, but I've brought company," he said before the two of us walked into the kitchen and then towards the living room where Billy sat on the sofa, remote for the TV in his hand.

"Aurora?" Billy asked his eyes wide as he looked me over and I forced another smile as I looked at him.

"Hi Billy," I said softly and he was quick to turn off the TV before he leaned forward slightly and put the remote on the coffee table in front of him.

"What _happened_?" he asked as he looked from me to Jacob, his eyebrows raised high, and Jacob sighed.

"She got into a fight with Bella," Jacob said slowly and Billy blinked a few times before his eyes moved back to me.

"Does Charlie know?" Billy asked and I shook my head.

"He wasn't home when it happened, and Jacob and I left before he got there," I said and Billy let out a breath.

"So he doesn't even known you're here?" he asked quietly and I shook my head once more.

"No," I said, "but I made up my bed to look like I was sleeping in it and Bella felt guilty enough to agree to cover for me."

"Guilty? Why does she feel guilty?" he asked and Jacob's hold on my hand tightened in an encouraging way and I took a deep breath through my nose.

"She said some things about Jacob and me before she threw in a comment about my mom that sort of set me off, and I'm hoping it's okay with you that I stay here tonight Billy. I really don't want to be anywhere near her right now," I said quietly, tears lining the corners of my eyes.

"Of course, Aurora," Billy said, his expression turning soft as he looked at me. I knew then that Charlie had probably told Billy what happened when my mom passed away, and I really wasn't surprised. After all, Billy was Charlie's best friend so it made sense that he would have confided in the man when he agreed to be the guardian to the daughter of a cousin he barely remembered. "You can stay in Rebecca and Rachel's old room." I nodded in agreement, not the least bit surprised.

"Dad," Jacob said quietly and Billy looked at him. "Can't she stay with me?"

"Jake," Billy said and Jacob took a shuffled step forward.

"You know I've been spending every night at her place for the last two weeks, and I swear we've done nothing more than sleep in the same bed together," Jacob said and I felt my face heat in a blush as I looked at Jacob's profile. "I don't want to leave her alone tonight, Dad, please." I turned my eyes to Billy when I heard the man sigh heavily and he looked at me, his dark eyes that were so similar to Jacob's softened as he looked me over.

"All right," he said rather reluctantly before he looked up at Jacob. "Don't give me a real reason not to trust either you, understand?" he asked and Jacob nodded.

"We won't, Dad, I promise," he said and Billy nodded.

"While Aurora cleans up and gets ready for bed, Jake, will you help your old man to bed?" Billy asked and Jacob nodded as he let go of my hand before he looked at me.

"I know the way," I said with a smile before I turned and went down the short hall that led to the bathroom. Jacob's room was just kiddy corner from the bathroom and Billy's room was at the end of the hallway. With the bathroom door closed I heard Jacob and Billy shuffling by before I took off my dress, frowning when I saw a tear in the delicate lace that I knew would be impossible to repair properly. With a heavy disappointed sigh, I changed into the plain black pajama bottoms I had grabbed and the bright yellow t-shirt that had a winking smile in the front of it that was sticking out its tongue. I rolled my eyes at my pajama selection for the evening before I washed my face and brushed my teeth with my face wash and tooth brush that was in my toiletry bag.

When I was finished, I went into Jacob's room, turning on the light since he was still helping his dad change and get into bed. I sat my bag, folded up dress, and tennis shows on the floor by his closet before I sat down on the edge of his bed, crossing my right leg over my left and leaning forward slightly, resting my elbows on my thighs as I played with the pendant that rested around my neck while I waited for Jacob. I didn't have long to wait because it seemed like barely a minute before Jacob came walking into the room. I looked up from staring at the floor and offered him a small smile as I righted myself, and he grinned when he spotted my shirt.

"Cute," he said as he gestured towards it and I looked down and scoffed before I looked back up at him. He closed his bedroom door and it was only then that I realized he was barefoot.

"Where are you boots?" I asked and he smiled at me as he sat down on the bed beside me.

"In the woods at the side of your house," he said. "I couldn't tie them along with my shirt and jeans to my leg, so, I left the behind. I'll get them later."

"Oh," I said softly and he raised his left hand and gently brushed a wayward strand of hair from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear.

"So, are you ready to tell me what happened tonight?" he asked and I looked at him fully.

"Is it just me or has every serious conversation we've had since we met taken place in your bedroom?" I asked and he chuckled, probably realizing that I was right because he shook his head negatively.

"It's not just you," he said and I smiled at him then, "but no changing the subject, Rory." I nodded before I looked down at my hands, which were joined together and resting on my thigh when Jacob's left hand easily covered them, drawing my eyes back to his face. "Talk to me," he urged once more and I took a deep breath through my nose.

"When we got home, Bella immediately started in on me," I said. "She asked me how can I be okay with you and the guys joining the fight against the newborns, and I told her that with your help the Cullens would win the fight and the town would be protected. She didn't believe me and then accused me of not caring about you. She asked me how I could claim to care about you if I was willing to let you die for me, and she said that if I cared about you at all I'd fight for you to stay out of it."

"Rory, I know you care about me," Jacob said as he shook his head. "There's not a single bit of doubt in my mind about that, and you couldn't stop me from fighting no matter what you did. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect you."

"I know," I said, "and I pretty much told Bella that, but she said I was your imprint and I could get you to do anything I wanted by batting my eyelashes. She said that it seemed like I was happy to let you die just like . . . just like my mom. I lost it after that, and you know the rest because that's when you and Edward showed up."

"She said that to you?" Jacob practically growled as his hold on my hands tightened. "Why would she say that to you?"

"She's jealous and she wanted to hurt me," I found myself saying without thinking and Jacob blinked at my response.

"Jealous? Jealous of what?" he asked, and I knew that I couldn't lie to him.

"Do you remember the day we met and when you took me home that afternoon?" I asked and he got a goofy grin on his face as his hold on my hands loosened and he began rubbing small circles with his thumb.

"Of course I do," he said. "It's one of the top five in the 'best days of my life' category," he added and I couldn't help but laugh quietly as I shook my head. Despite whatever was going on around us or in my head, Jacob could always get me to smile or chuckle.

"Anyway," I said dryly, "when you went outside with Bella it was because you told her that you imprinted on me, right?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that sometime after that she realized that her feelings towards you were more than friendly in nature," I said, "and she's jealous that she lost you to me before she realized it." Jacob started at me, hard, for several quiet beats; and even though I was tempted to look away I didn't. I simply watched as he blinked a few times before he licked his lips and shook his head.

"Oh," he said quietly and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said softly and Jacob leaned forward, surprising me my catching my lips in brief chaste kiss.

"Even if Bella would have realized her feelings for me _before_ I met you, Rory, nothing would be different," he said gently as he pulled back, his brown eyes once again locking with my blue. "She loves Edward more than she could ever love me, hell, I'm pretty sure she puts his well-being above her own and he's pretty much unbreakable. I would have just been in more pain knowing that she loved me, but still chose to be with Edward because she loves him more. Now, it doesn't matter anymore because I have you." He kissed me once more and at the tenderness of his touch I felt my hesitance to tell Jacob about what happened to my mother, so he would better understand why I reacted the way I did to Bella's words, slip away. He wouldn't judge me, I knew he wouldn't, and when he pulled his lips from mine I gathered my courage and met his brown eyes with my blue.

"Jacob, you know I don't want anything to happen to you, right? Please tell me you know that," I said, a few tears making their way down my cheeks, and Jacob was quick to pull me into his arms. I was practically sitting on his lap like so many times before when we found ourselves in his room, but I didn't care.

"I know you don't, Rory; I know," he said quietly and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as I turned my face into his neck. I wasn't really crying at that moment, I just needed to be as close to Jacob as possible for a few minutes and he seemed content to hold on to me as he rubbed his right hand up and down my back in a soothing motion. However, I knew if I didn't let out everything right then I wasn't going to do it anytime soon.

"It's my fault my mom is dead," I whispered against his skin and his hand stilled on my back.

"What are you talking about, Rory?" Jacob asked. I lifted my head to look at him and found him frowning at me as his brown eyes danced between my blue. "How could it possibly be your fault that your mom is dead?"

"The night that she died, we'd gotten into a fight on the way home from a restaurant where we had had dinner with the guy she was dating," I said quietly, my eyes going to the collar of Jacob's shirt since I found myself unable to look him in the eyes anymore. I was ashamed because of what my last words to my mom had been even though I knew he wouldn't judge me. "It was the first time I had ever fought with her about anything."

"What did you fight with her about?" he asked when I paused and I sighed quietly as I ran my left hand down my face before I let it fall to my lap.

"That night was the first night I'd met the guy she was dating, some creep named Aaron. During dinner . . . during dinner he'd put his hand on my thigh, rubbed it, and squeezed it as he winked at me," I said and I heard Jacob growl quietly, but I pressed on. "He did a few other things and I didn't like him. When I told Mom about what he did in the car, she didn't believe me. I was so angry at her that she didn't believe me and when she had pretty much called me a liar, I snapped but instead of hitting her like I did Bella I used words.

"I told her that she was a terrible mother and that I wished she was dead when she stopped at a stop sign before I took off out of the car. I was running down the street when she followed after me. It was dark out and she immediately started after me, but when she did her little compact car was hit by a full sized pickup truck that was speeding down the road and ran its stop sign." I sniffed and wiped at my nose with the back of my left hand before Jacob took hold of my hand.

"It wasn't your fault, Aurora," Jacob said and I scoffed a quiet and bitter laugh as I looked up at him.

"Yes it was, Jacob. If I wouldn't have gotten out of the car, she wouldn't have pulled out when she did and she wouldn't have died on impact," I said as my tears were freely falling from my eyes. During the weeks of counseling I had been forced to take, I had never cried when I retold the story to therapist. I could always feel the tears begging to come out, but they never fell. Now, it was like I couldn't get them to stop and a small sob escaped my lips as I started to turn my face away from Jacob's penetrating gaze.

"Listen to me, Aurora, it was an accident," Jacob said as he raised his hand back to the side of my face and kept my eyes locked with his. "You could have been in that car with her when it happened and died right alongside her. It was her turn to go through the intersection when she started after you, and you said it yourself the pickup driver ran the stop sign. It wasn't your fault."

"But what I said-," I started but he didn't let me finish.

"You were angry and hurt, and you didn't mean anything you said," he said as he rubbed his thumb underneath my eye. "I know you didn't mean what you said, Rory, and if your mom knew you as well as I think she did, she knew you didn't mean it either." Jacob spoke with such conviction as he looked at me that I wanted to believe him with every fiber of my being, but I wasn't sure if I could. "You said the two of you never fought before, right?"

"Right," I whispered through my still falling tears, and he gave me a small smile.

"Well, I think that when you said what you said and climbed out of the car that she realized how hurt you were that she didn't believe you about whatever it was you were fighting over; and you told me how close the two of you were," he said with a pause. "I bet you anything that she was coming after you as fast as she could because she wanted to set things right."

"How do you know?" I asked and Jacob kissed my forehead before he pressed his forehead to mine.

"I just do," he said. "I can't explain it to you, Rory, but I just know that that's what happened. It wasn't your fault, and you've got to accept that because your mom wouldn't want you to go on blaming yourself for something you didn't do." It was then for the first time since that terrible night that I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest and a warmth spread through me. The ache that had been ever present in my chest, but dulled since meeting Jacob was completely gone and for a fleeting second I could have sworn I smelled my mother's favorite cherry blossom perfume in Jacob's room.

"Why do I believe you?" I asked in a whisper and he lifted his head to smile at me once more.

"Because you're smart," he said and I laughed quietly then, sniffing for the millionth time, before I threw my arms around his shoulders and once again buried my face in his neck.

"I don't want anything to happen to you because of me, Jacob," I said against his skin and I felt Jacob shiver slightly before he shook his head.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Rory," he said and I pulled my head back so I could look at him. "I promise," he said as he looked into my eyes and I believed him, it was hard not to, and I gave him a watery eyed smile.

"Good," I said and he smiled at me in return before he kissed me yet again, but that time on the cheek. I sighed quietly as he pulled back before I raised my right hand to my forehead and frowned. "Do you have any Tylenol or something?" I asked, as my head started to pound something fierce. "I've got a headache."

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen," he said before he settled me back onto the bed. "I'll go get you some and a glass of water.

"Thanks," I said as I lowered my hand and once again, Jacob leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I smiled at him as he quietly exited his room and I sighed once more as I laid down on his bed, wrapping my arms around his pillow as I waited for him. I closed my eyes and smiled slightly as I was surrounded by Jacob's smell and the warmth sensation in my chest seemed to grow. As I laid there I could feel myself starting to drift off to sleep and no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I was asleep before Jacob came back into the room.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning I was unusually warm, so much so that I was sweating and the side of my face was sticking to my pillow as I opened my eyes. For a brief moment I internally panicked when I didn't recognize the room around me but the events of the night before came flooding back to me and I remembered that I was in Jacob's room. I relaxed against Jacob whom I was mostly lying on top of with his chest serving as my pillow seeing as there really wasn't enough room for both of us to lie down comfortably on his twin bed. My ribs hurt a bit from the iron grip Jacob had had on my waist and the few jabs that Bella had gotten in, but it wasn't enough to make me bolt out of bed or anything like that.

Over the last two weeks I had woken up pretty much in the exact same position, but I certainly never sweated that much before. It was only then that I remembered that Jacob must have forgotten to open a window to keep the room around us cool so I wouldn't sweat to death. To my surprise my headache was gone despite not having taken anything for the pain last night, but I figured I probably just needed a good night's sleep. That was usually a good cure for almost anything, and I closed my eyes content to lie there for a little while longer with Jacob. I didn't really care if I was sweating buckets or what time it was, I just wanted to lay there with him for as long as humanly possible, and judging by the quiet snores he was making he had no plans on waking up any time soon either. However, it sounded like Billy had other plans because I heard Jacob's bedroom door open a few seconds after I closed my eyes.

"Jacob," came Billy's firm voice from the doorway, but he wasn't loud in any sense of the word, and Jacob's snores immediately stopped before I felt him lift his head and heard him let out a sigh. "It's almost noon and you have join Sam and the others before meeting with the Cullens to train at one," he continued, speaking quietly and I knew then that he was probably trying to not wake me up. I felt Jacob nod his head before I heard Billy wheel away, and I figured that Jacob must have informed Billy of the plans he had made with Carlisle last night. Jacob kissed the top of my head before he slowly started to move from underneath me, but I opened my eyes, lifted my head, and looked at him, freezing him in place.

"Morning," I said and he gave me a sleepy faced grin.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked.

"Not long," I said. "I had only just closed my eyes again when I heard Billy open your bedroom door." He chuckled and shook his head before he kissed my forehead and climbed from the bed, stretching with his arms spread out above him and allowing me to watch the muscles of his bare back ripple and move as he did so. I let out a soft contented sigh as I rested my head on my right hand, propped up on my elbow, and watched him stretch. Jacob laughed again before he looked back at me.

"See something you like?" he teased and I laughed as I felt my face flush from more than the heat that Jacob had left behind.

"I see a lot of things I like," I said and he grinned as I sat up and wiped at my forehead and neck with my hands.

"Damn it," I heard him whisper and I frowned as I looked up at him.

"What?" I asked and he sighed.

"I forgot to open a window last night," he said and I rolled my eyes before I climbed from the bed.

"I'm fine," I said. "A little sweaty and possibly a little stinky, but I'm fine." He smiled at me as he shook his head.

"You don't stink," he assured me and I trusted his judgment on that since he was the one with the super sniffer and all.

"Thank you," I said and he raised an eyebrow.

"For what? Saying you don't stink?" he asked with a grin and I laughed as I reached out and put my hands on his waist before I shuffled a little closer to him.

"No, for last night," I said. "I went to a place in my head that I hadn't gone since shortly after everything happened. I've tried really hard to not go there and move on because I don't like the way I think when I do, but after what Bella said I just went right back to that night and I hated myself all over again. When we talked last night, Jacob, you didn't say anything to me that the cops, the shrink I was forced to see, or my friends hadn't already said to me but it was the first time I actually let myself believe it."

"You should have always believed it because it's true, Rory," he said and I smiled sadly at him as I nodded, my loosened ponytail flopping oddly on the back of my head as I did so.

"I know that now," I said quietly, my fingers tightening around his waist a bit, and he smiled at me before he raised his hands to my face and ran his thumbs along my cheeks. "I guess I've got a little more drama than you bargained for, huh?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Maybe, but you're totally worth it," he said and I laughed lightly, but I didn't get say anything in response because he swooped in and kissed me firmly. I swear I started to melt against him as I wrapped my arms around him. The kiss deepened and Jacob's hands left face and moved to settle on my waist, however, the pressure of his hands against my bruised ribs as he pulled me close was a little too much and I pried my mouth from his and let out a small whimper. "What is it?" he asked his hands leaving me and hovering over me, too afraid to touch me.

"Between when you tightened your grip on me and the few blows Bella got in with her elbows my ribs are pretty sore," I said sheepishly and Jacob pursed his lips before his hands moved to the hem of my t-shirt.

"May I?" he asked and I nodded. Slowly, he lifted up my shirt, stopping just below my chest, and he sighed quietly. "No wonder your sore," he said and I looked down, tilting my head slightly so I could see over my chest only to see a smattering of greenish blue bruises over my upper waist, right along the lower part of my rib cage. I hummed quietly and lifted my head to look at Jacob's face, and he didn't look happy.

"I'm fine," I said and he sighed as he looked at me. He opened his mouth, undoubtedly to say he was sorry, but I cut him off. "Don't. You apologized last night and not all of these bruises are from you, Jacob. I'm fine," I said again and he reluctantly nodded before he started to lower my shirt. However, he hesitated for a beat and kept my shirt raised halfway down my stomach with his left hand while the fingers of his right hand ghosted across my abdomen, making goose bumps rush across my skin before I felt him toy slightly with the small charmed piercing I had in my belly button.

"You're belly button's pierced?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and I nodded.

"Hello," I said with a small grin before I pointed at myself with a swirling right hand, "dance team." He laughed at that before he lowered my shirt completely and brought his hands to my hips. I laughed with him as I raised my hands to rest on his shoulders and I felt all the tension leave his body. I knew he wasn't happy that he'd hurt me, but I wasn't hurt that bad and I had injured myself worse dancing or working out in general. Hell, I'd broken bones in my feet (toes mainly) and still went on to perform. Pain was something I could handle, but when Jacob had grabbed me, the pain had caught me off guard.

"You'll have to show me a few of your dance moves sometime," Jacob said through the grin that had made its way across his lips.

"Well, maybe when this whole vampire thing is over and you've got a few spare minutes I can do just that," I said and Jacob's grin turned into a smile. "Maybe I can even teach you a few moves. You can dance, right?"

"Of course, and that is defiantly something to look forward to," he said and I chuckled as Jacob started to lean in to kiss me and I was relieved that Jacob hadn't turned brooding after seeing the bruises on my ribs. Playing them off was the right thing to do because he was once again at ease as his nose brushed against mine and his breath washed over my lips.

"I've made you two lunch, and if you want to actually eat before you have to leave you're going to have to come out of there in the next five minutes," came Billy's voice from the other room. Jacob sighed before he settled on a chaste kiss before he pulled back and took my hand into his. I knew then, as Jacob started to lead me out into the kitchen that things had started to return back to normal, outside of the pending newborn vampire battle of course.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for all of your reviews and adds. I really am glad that so many of you are enjoying my story so far. I hope you guys like this chapter as well, and as always let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_ and I do not own some of the dialogue from the movie 'Eclipse.'

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

"When we get to Sam's, you're going to stay there with Emily, Kim, and Claire," Jacob said as I sat on the edge of his bed tying my tennis shoes. I looked up at him, my loose and slightly damp hair falling into my face as I shook my head.

"I don't think so," I said as I stood and tugged at the hem of my dark pink t-shirt. "I'm going with you and the others to where you're meeting the Cullens."

"Rory," Jacob started to say but I raised my hands up in front of me, silencing him before I spoke.

"If you're going into a fight facing a bunch of super strong vampires, I want to see that you're going to be ready for it with my own eyes," I said and he sighed before he took hold of my hands. "I'm not going to sit at Sam and Emily's house either baking up a storm with Emily, playing princess for the hundredth time with Claire, or just sit there twiddling my thumbs until you all get back."

"Fine, but will you at least stay on the wolf side of the line?" he asked and I smiled at him.

"Is that to keep me away from the vampires or Bella since you know she's going to be there?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Both," he said dryly before he raised my right hand to his mouth and kissed the inside of my wrist, which made meme shiver a bit and sigh quietly before he slowly let go of my hands. "You didn't bring a sweatshirt or jacket did you when you packed your bag last night?" he asked and I shook my head negatively before he turned away from me and walked over to his closet. I watched him pull out a seriously large looking dark gray pocket hoodie before he returned so he was standing in front of me once again. "Here," he said and I took it from him with a raised eyebrow.

"Jacob, this is way too big. I'm going to swim in it," I said and he laughed once more.

"Maybe, but at least you'll be warm. Plus, it's mine. I think you'll look good in it," he said before he winked at me and started walking from his room, however, when I didn't follow right away he paused at the open doorway. "You coming?" he asked and I blinked. I wasn't sure why Jacob's simple comment made me go stupid for a second, but thankfully I snapped out of it and nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said quickly as I tugged the five times too big hoodie over my head and followed a chuckling Jacob down the short hallway into the living room. Billy had left shortly after we finished lunch because he had some errands to run, but before he had left he had told me I was welcome to stay the night whenever I needed to, which had earned the old man a kiss on the cheek and a thank you from me before Jacob had helped him out to his truck.

"See what I mean?" he asked as he looked at me once we were in the living room and I raised an eyebrow as I pulled my hair out of the back of it and fixed the hood underneath my hair. I'd been so lost in thought I hadn't heard him say anything, so, I was a little confused.

"What?" I asked before I started to roll up the sleeves a bit and he chuckled.

"It does look good on you," he said and I smiled at him as I rolled my eyes.

"What is it with guys and liking to see their girlfriends in their clothes?" I asked.

"No clue, but I totally get the appeal," he said and I laughed at his grin which earned me a kiss on the forehead as he quickly took my hand in his before the two of us left the house and headed for the trees.

* * *

When we got to Sam and Emily's I had been surprised to meet two boys who were even younger than Seth, and that had recently shifted for the first time; Collin and Brady. Apparently, Jacob hadn't been comfortable with me meeting them yet since they were still getting the hang of everything and he hadn't wanted me around them in case the thirteen year olds lost control of their still slightly sensitive tempers and phased. We were only at Sam's for maybe five or ten minutes, and most of that time was me arguing with Sam about tagging along with everyone. Thankfully, Sam had caved after Emily had told him to let me go since I had spent a lot of time with the Cullens anyway, and I had smiled smugly as I followed everyone towards the trees.

As I rode on top of Jacob's back towards the meeting place that was the first time I had seen all of the pack members in their wolf glory. Aside from Jared and Embry, I wasn't sure who was who but I had a good idea that the large black wolf was Sam since he was bigger than Jared, and almost the same size as Jacob. I also figured that the smallest wolf stature wise was Leah just because it made sense for her to be the smallest given that she was as tall as me and that all the guys (Collin and Brady included) had at least two inches of height on her.

After what seemed like forever, the group started to slow as they came to an incline and slowly they all started to descend into the open area. It was there that I spotted all the Cullens and of course Bella who was wearing a pair of sunglasses despite the clouds overhead. Out of the wolves that I could see, Jacob was the only one that wasn't growling or even showing his teeth at the Cullens and I was proud of my boyfriend for that. When Jacob stopped, he lowered himself to ground just enough for me to slide off his back and once I was on my feet, he turned his head towards me. I moved so I was close to his face and smiled at him before I petted his neck, scratching just a bit which made him close his eyes. He made a soft grunting noise at me before he opened his eyes, stuck his tongue out slightly, and licked my face.

"Ew," I whispered through a quiet laugh as I wiped at my face and he gruffed out a rough laugh before he gestured towards a fallen log that wasn't far from where he was standing with his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going," I said in a whisper before I walked over to it. I could feel the Cullens watching me and I couldn't help but wonder if they were angry with me for what happened with Bella.

I wouldn't really blame them if they were since they'd known Bella for over a year and me for a little over a month. I knew Edward was probably pissed despite knowing exactly what she said to me since I had replayed the whole thing in my head. A small, _very small, _part of me felt bad; but a much larger part of me felt that Bella deserved what I gave her, maybe more, and I had no plans on telling her I was sorry because I wasn't. I wasn't the least bit sorry for causing the split lip I saw or the bruise she had along the left side of her jaw nor the black eye she was undoubtedly hiding under her sunglasses. However, I found myself wondering what she had told Charlie about her battered face, and suddenly I wasn't looking forward to going home later on.

I sat down and finally got a good look at the others and saw that Emmett and (to my great surprise) Rosalie were all smiling at me, well, Rosalie's expression was probably more of a slightly twisted grin, but hey I'd take it since that was the first really pleasant expression I'd ever gotten from the pretty blonde. I smiled back at them before my eyes caught Esme's. Her smile was more one of concern and I was touched that she was concerned for me, I really was, and I smiled back at her in return before I heard Edward's voice carry over the quiet that surrounded us.

"They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," I head Edward say as he looked at Carlisle and I saw the tall blonde nod.

"They came," Carlisle said. "That's what matters. Will you translate?" he asked and Edward nodded before Edward left Bella's side and followed Carlisle so he was standing pretty much directly in front of Sam, Jacob, and Jared. I caught Alice's gaze then as she moved to stand with Bella and Alice gave me a smile. I smiled back at her and was relieved that my friend wasn't upset with me. "Welcome," Carlisle said, drawing my eyes to him, and I saw him turn slightly and gesture towards Jasper. "Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them."

"They want to know how the newborns differ from us," Edward said.

"They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life," Carlisle said and I felt my stomach twist at Carlisle words and as Jasper stepped forward, my eyes went to Jacob, but his eyes were focused on the vampires in front of him.

"Carlisle's right," Jasper said, drawing my eyes from Jacob and to him as he slowly walked forward to stand where Carlisle had just been standing. He stood there, hands clasped gently behind his back and I frowned slightly when I realized that the way he was standing reminded me of the way a solider stood when he was at ease. I assumed then that Jasper must have been in the military in his human life, but when that was I hadn't the slightest clue. "That's why they are created," he continued, snapping me from my thoughts. "A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, but no human army could stand against them." My eyes flickered to Jacob once again before I looked back at Jasper as I took a deep breath.

"Now, the two most important things to remember are, first," he said as he turned slightly to look between the wolves and his family, "never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly; and second, never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that, and you will lose."

"_Well, the way he said that wasn't creepy at all,"_ I thought to myself as I shifted on the log and I saw Edward turn his head towards me. Our eyes met and for a moment we just looked at each other. I half expected him to glare at me now that I actually saw the damage I caused to Bella, but I was surprised when he gave me a small understanding smile and returned his eyes to his brother. _"Thanks Edward,"_ I thought and I knew that the slight incline of his head was his response to me.

"Emmett," Jasper said and the two boys moved off towards the back and I stood from my log so I could get a better look at what was about to go down. I heard Jacob huff at me, but I just waved my hand at him to be quiet with my eyes still trained on the two vampires. "Don't hold back," Jasper said, and I could see Emmett's grin even over the distance that was between us.

"Not in my nature," he said before it seemed like all hell broke loose. They were moving so fast that my eyes could barely keep up as they fought. The ground actually shook under my feet and I gasped quietly when tall and lean Jasper took big as a bear Emmett down with what looked like very little effort at all.

"Never lose focus," Jasper said with a grin before Emmett growled quietly and stood, ready to go again, but it was Carlisle and Edward's turn. They were just as intense as Jasper and Emmett, and just as fast, but Edward always seemed to have the upper hand on Carlisle; and that was probably because he likely knew what move Carlisle was going to make next thanks to his mind reading ability. So, I wasn't all that surprised when Edward took him down and stood, turning to face Jasper.

"One more thing," Jasper said as he took a step towards Edward and all of a sudden Carlisle was up and had taken Edward down harder than the bronze haired boy had taken him down. "Never turn your back on your enemy," Jasper said dryly as he walked away.

"Whoa," I whispered to myself before I laughed quietly and shook my head. I wasn't sure _why_ I was laughing, but I figured it had more to do with my brain trying to process the absurdity of it all and the fact that I was watching a bunch of fast moving impossibly strong vampires train each other for battle.

Jasper and Rosalie were next, and my slight fear of Rosalie was only cemented. The woman was lethal and I was only more determined never to really get on her bad side. When they finished, Jasper moved on to fight Alice. For a fleeting moment I was worried about Alice against Jasper, but I quickly learned that I had no reason whatsoever to worry about Alice. Jasper could not get the better of his little pixie like mate and it was barely two minutes before tiny Alice was declared the winner.

Carlisle was fighting Esme when I looked away from the vampires and at the wolves. They were observing everything, taking everything in the Cullens were showing them, and after a beat, my eyes moved to my cousin. Bella was standing off to the side, sunglasses still on her face, but I could tell she was grimacing as she watched Carlisle and Esme fight. I decided right then was as good a time as any to talk. Taking a deep breath I walked over to Bella, looking over my shoulder to see Jacob splitting his attention between the fights going on and me. I gave him a small smile before I turned my eyes ahead and came to a stop a few feet away from my cousin.

"Hey," I said and Bella looked away from watching Carlisle and Esme fight and settled her sunglasses covered eyes on me.

"H-hey," she said quietly before she adjusted her sunglasses and cleared her throat. I sighed quietly before I tucked my hands into the pocket of Jacob's hoodie and shook my hair out of my eyes. I really shouldn't have left my hair down because the flyway curls were probably a wild mess after riding on Jacob's back for as long as I did that afternoon and I hadn't bothered to run my fingers through them to straighten them out.

"Can we talk?" I asked and she shifted her feet so she was facing me and nodded her head.

"Sure," she said quietly and we walked over to what I knew was Emmett's jeep. Bella leaned her back against the driver's side of the jeep while I remained standing a couple of feet away from her, my hands still in the pocket of Jacob's hoodie. She raised her hands and took the sunglasses off her face to reveal that she did indeed have a black eye. Her right eye was already dark and it was slightly swollen; surprisingly I felt no guilt when I saw it.

"If it makes you feel any better, the couple of elbows you got in added a few bruises around my ribs," I said and Bella sighed as she looked down at the ground between our feet.

"It doesn't really," she said and it was my turn to sigh quietly. I knew everyone was listening in, even Emmett and Rosalie who were now the ones fighting each other, but I didn't really care.

"Why would you say something like that to me?" I asked with a frown, fully knowing the truthful answer but wondering what excuse she would give me.

"I don't know. I don't know why I said anything that I said to you last night," she said as she lifted her eyes back to my face and I scoffed a laugh as I pulled my hands out of the pocket of Jacob's hoodie.

"Really Bella? You're going to play _that_ card?" I asked and I saw her face flush. "I know why you said what you said, but you didn't have to take it as far as you did. Questioning my feelings about Jacob I could handle because I am well aware of how much I care about him and so is he, but bringing my mother's death into your jealously fueled rampage was wrong and you know it. Do you even know how my mom died, Bella?" I could no longer hear Emmett and Rosalie battling each other, so I assumed that they had stopped to listen to my little talk with Bella, but I did hear a few quiet growls from the wolves behind me. Obviously, Jacob wasn't able to keep his memories from last night to himself and I'd have to talk about that with him as our relationship progressed.

"No," she said softly. "Charlie's never mentioned it and I haven't asked."

"She was killed in a car accident that I watched happen and that I've blamed myself for ever since that night," I said, the only sign of any emotion being the tremble in my voice. Thankfully, I managed to keep the tears at bay as they threatened to fall and when I felt a calming sensation wash over me I knew I had Jasper to thank for that since he had that whole 'emotion manipulation' gift thing. "The last thing I ever said to her was that I wished she was dead," I said and Bella's eyes widened. "We were fighting," I said as I shook my head trying to clear away the memories of that night, but failing, "and I was so mad at her that I said the most hurtful things I could think of before I climbed out of the car and started walking down the street. She came after me in the car only to get blindsided by some jackass in a pickup that ran the stop sign."

"Aurora, I'm-" she started quietly, but I shook my head and interrupted her.

"Don't, Bella, don't tell me you're sorry because I don't believe you are. I didn't believe you last night and I don't believe you now," I said and she looked crestfallen. I took a deep breath through my nose and slowly let it out before I ran my hands through my hair and sighed quietly. "Look, I know you have feelings for Jacob; deeper feelings than you first thought," I said in as quiet of a whisper as I could manage and Bella's dark eyes averted from mine, "and that's fine. However, you have Edward, who you love more than you would ever have loved Jacob. I know you care about Jacob, but you need to just let him go. He's not yours to worry about anymore."

"Are you saying I can't even be friends with him?" she asked as she looked back at me and I shook my head.

"Of course not," I said. "I don't care if you are friends with him, Bella, but you have no say in what he does or doesn't do. You're his friend, not his girlfriend. _I'm _his girlfriend, and I'm not going to tell him what he can and cannot do; just like I won't let him tell me what I can and cannot do. He knows what he's doing, and I trust his judgment, Bella, which is something you should do to. I may not like that in three days he's going to be fighting a bunch of super strong newborn vampires, but he's doing it to not only protect you and me, but the people in Forks and La Push as well. Plus, you wouldn't like it if I told you what to do when it came to your relationship with Edward, or if I just decided to start ordering him around, right?" Bella sighed before she reluctantly nodded her head. "Now that that's out of the way, there's just one more thing we need to talk about." There really hadn't been any 'we' in the conversation over the last five minutes because it's pretty much just be me yammering away, but like so many other things involving Bella at the moment I didn't care.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Since we're family and living under the same roof and all, can we call a truce? I don't think we can be friends, not after everything, but do you think we can agree not to hate each other?"

"Yeah," Bella said after a beat. "We can do that."

"Good," I said before I tucked my hair behind my ears. "So, um, what did you tell Charlie about what happened to your face?" I asked.

"He'd left for the station before I got up this morning," she said and I nodded, "but don't worry. I'll think of something."

"Thanks," I said. She opened her mouth to say something, but I turned away from her only to see that all the Cullens were openly watching us and all the wolves were looking at us. I felt my face heat in a blush as I awkwardly cleared my throat before my eyes caught Edward's.

I probably should have known better than to have that conversation with Bella around a bunch of supernatural creatures, and judging by the look on Edward's face I probably should have waited until at least he wasn't around. He looked almost troubled as he looked at me before he turned his eyes to Bella and started walking over to her. I felt bad for sort of throwing Bella under the bus when it came to letting her feelings for Jacob out into the open, but then again I didn't. If she was going to have any sort of healthy relationship with Edward, she needed to be honest with him; especially since her mind was the only one in the world he had never been able to read for almost a hundred years.

"We're done for today," Edward said quietly when he reached me and I nodded before I started to turn to head over to Jacob, but Edward stopped me by gently taking hold of my left forearm. I looked at him with a curious expression on my face before I rolled my eyes at Jacob's loud and deep growl.

"He's not going to hurt me," I said as I looked over my right shoulder at Jacob as Edward's hand slowly left my arm. Jacob let out a low grumbling growl that showed his teeth before he huffed a heavy breath out of his nose and chomped his teeth slightly, almost snapping them at I assumed Edward because I didn't think he'd snap his teeth at me. Edward chuckled at that and I looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he said smoothly. "Jacob just has a very vivid imagination that he's not afraid to share." I quirked an eyebrow at that, but didn't ask what Jacob had imagined before Edward continued speaking. "I just wanted to let you know that I truly am not angry with you about what happened yesterday. I understand why you lost your temper," he said quietly as his strange golden eyes held my blue. "And I also wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" I asked surprised.

"I knew something else was bothering her, but I was blind to it since she wouldn't tell me. Now I know," he said in such a soft whisper that I knew Bella was the only one that didn't hear it.

"_She still would have chosen you in the end anyway, you know that right?"_ I mentally asked him and he sighed quietly. _"Trust me, Edward, she would have; but she would have felt extremely guilty for hurting Jacob at the same time."_

"Do you really believe that?" he asked just as quietly as before and I nodded.

"_With all my heart,"_ I thought and Edward smiled at me then before he shook his head.

"If only I had half of your certainty and conviction on things, Aurora, my existence would be much simpler," he said and I laughed quietly.

"You just got to believe that there are good things in life, Edward," I said before I gestured over my right shoulder with my thumb. "That giant fur ball back there taught me that and he's one of the good things in my life; just like she's one of the many good things you have in yours." I heard Jacob huff behind me and I smiled as I lowered my hand. "Just don't be too hard on her. I may not like her all that much at the moment, but she's still my family," I said in a whisper and Edward nodded.

"I won't," he said before I patted his shoulder in encouragement before I jogged over to where Jacob was standing. When I reached him, I threw my hair up into a messy bun on the back of my head with the hair tie I had wrapped around my right wrist.

"We'll meet here again at the same time tomorrow," Carlisle said as Jacob lowered himself to the ground and I climbed on to his back, "and continue where we left off." Jacob stood once I was securely on his back, and Edward spoke on Sam's behalf.

"They'll be here," he said and Carlisle inclined his head, a gracious smile on his lips.

"Bye guys," I said with a wave and Alice, Esme, and Carlisle all smiled and waved at me in return while Emmett chuckled.

"Have a safe ride, Wolf Girl!" he called and I laughed as Jacob turned around and followed the others up the incline once again before he took off into a run, heading back to La Push and back to Sam's house.

* * *

"I'm a giant fur ball, Rory?" Jacob asked as he took hold of me by the hips after he had phased back behind some trees and tugged on the dark jean cut offs he'd been wearing that morning. I laughed as I raised my hands, resting them on his broad shoulders, before I smiled up at him.

"Have you been chewing on that the whole way here?" I asked and Jacob sighed.

"No," he said, but two more voices joined the conversation.

"Yes," they chimed and Jacob looked over his right shoulder while I tilted my head to see a grinning Embry and Quil make their way over to us. Like Jacob they were only wearing their cut offs, but after a month of hanging around half naked guys it had sort of become the norm for me and I no longer blushed or felt uncomfortable.

"Shut up," Jacob said as he let his hands fall away from my hip before he took my right hand in his left and led me out of the woods. Embry and Quil laughed and I smiled as Sam, Jared, Paul, and the others soon joined us in the short trek towards Sam and Emily's house.

Jared was quick to go to Kim and Sam to Emily the second they walked inside and Quil made his way over to Claire who was coloring as she sat at the coffee table in the living room. I smiled as I watched him settle down beside her and the bright smile that lit up Claire's face as she looked at him and handed him a pink crayon from the box she had beside her. Jacob and I came to a stop beside the table where all the other guys had settled as they talked about how they were excited for the pending fight and their excitement sort of unnerved me a bit and I could feel my shoulders tighten a bit in apprehension. Jacob leaned back against the wall before he carefully wrapped his arms around me and pulled my back flush against his chest I relaxed slightly as we listened to the guys talk.

Emily had brought out some snacks after a little while, but I wasn't hungry so I politely declined them when she offered me some before the guys got to everything. Jacob made no move for the food like the others and I was nice and warm wrapped up in both his hoodie and his arms. I laughed at the lame joke Jared had made, but I gasped quietly when I felt Jacob's nose run along the right side of my neck before he placed a warm kiss right behind my ear and then another a little further down my neck.

My heart started hammering in my chest yet again as I closed my eyes and tightened my hands around Jacob's forearms which were still loosely settled around my abdomen. Jacob's heated breath was still against my skin and seeping under the collar of his hoodie, which caused goose bumps to race across my skin as I shivered before he placed another kiss on my neck. I didn't know why Jacob was suddenly even more affectionate than usual, but I wasn't about to complain because his soft lips against my skin was making wondrous sensations rush through my body as I tilted my head to the left to allow him better access to my neck. I felt lightheaded again as I sank even further into Jacob's arms as a quiet sigh left my lips before Jacob actually nibbled slightly on my right ear.

"Jeez, why don't you two just have sex right here?" came Leah's voice, breaking the spell that Jacob's ministrations had put me under, and my eyes snapped open. The guys started wolf whistling and cat calling as they laughed and my face flamed red as I looked at them. Jacob righted his head and his arms loosened even more around my waist before his hands settled on my hips.

"Leah, Claire's in the other room," Emily said, admonishing the other girl, but the bright smile that was on Emily's face took any of the bite out of her words. Leah just rolled her eyes at Emily before she snickered and shook her head. Jacob let me go before he took my left hand in his right.

"Do you need me here?" Jacob asked looking at Sam and Sam shook his head negatively.

"Just be here tomorrow at one so we can head over to meet with the Cullens again," Sam said and Jacob gave him a curt nod before he tugged slightly on my hand and he led me out of Sam and Emily's house. The guys all started laughing again before a chant of 'go Jacob' was started. I was pretty sure that my face was redder than it had ever been before, but I wasn't upset with Jacob for getting carried away or the guys for teasing us. All my hazy and clouded brain wanted was for Jacob to continue where he had left off, and hopefully wherever we were going would allow him to do just that.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. You really have no idea how happy it makes me that so many of you are enjoying this story so far. I should warn you, there is a little bit of a mature situation in the beginning of this chapter, but nothing terribly description. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter, and as always please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associate with _Twilight_ or the very few lines from the movie 'Eclipse' that I used in this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

It wasn't really all that surprising that we ended up back at Jacob's house, and when I saw that Billy's truck was still gone my heart started hammering away again in my chest as we walked hand in hand into the house. "Are you hungry?" Jacob asked and I shook my head.

"Not really, but I could use a glass of water or something," I said and he nodded before he let go of my hand and went over to the cupboard, grabbed a glass, and turned on the tap. "Jacob, I could have gotten it myself, you know," I said as I walked over to him and put my hands on his hips, just above the waistband of his cut offs. He stiffened slightly at my touch before he turned off the water. My grip was loose enough for him to turn around, but my hands remained on his hips and he smiled down at me as he held out the glass to me.

"I know, but I was closer," he said and I laughed quietly before I leaned in and kissed him chastely before I took the glass from his right hand with my left.

"Thanks," I whispered against his lips and he grinned as his hands settled on my hips and my right hand moved to rest on his left forearm.

"Anytime," he said quietly and I took a drink from the glass before I looked away from him and sat it down on the counter just behind Jacob and to his right. "Aurora?" he asked and I returned my eyes to his face since his voice had sounded slightly off. Jacob's right had moved to my face before he ran his thumb along my cheek. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are?" he asked softly and I laughed softly, though it sounded nervous to my ears.

"I'm not amazing, Jacob," I said.

"Yeah, you are."

"What did I do that makes you think I'm amazing?" I asked and he smiled.

"The way you handled the whole thing with Bella and the way you're handling everything else," he said. "It just makes me love you even more than I already do."

"Jacob," I whispered, my heart racing at the four letter word he hadn't used since the first time he had kissed me, and he moved his thumb so it rested over my lips, stopping me from speaking.

"I know it's too soon for you to be able to say it back to me, Aurora; that you're not ready yet, and that's fine," he said with a slight pause as he shook his head. "I just can't hold it in anymore. I love you." I raised my right hand so it was resting on his neck before I ran my own thumb along his jawline while my left hand moved to rest on his waist. Thankfully, he removed his thumb from my mouth and I pulled at his neck as I moved even closer to him so our bodies were practically pressed together, which our lips soon mirrored.

Jacob's left arm wrapped around my lower back as his right hand moved into my hair. He tugged my hair free as we kissed; the slightly knotted and frizzy loose curls fell down my back before he laced his fingers in my hair and tugged slightly as he deepened the kiss. I let out a whimper as my knees gave way and Jacob was the only thing keeping me from crumpling to the floor at our feet as I clung to him and kissed him at the same time. Without breaking our kiss Jacob bent slightly, easily bending me with him, before I felt his left arm slide underneath my butt before he lifted me from the ground. Instinctively, my weakened legs wrapped around his hips while his left hand remained on my butt and his right hand in my hair as he started to walk; and not once did he break our kiss.

I wasn't sure where we were going, but I didn't really care as his lips left mind and moved along my jaw before he found my neck again. It wasn't until Jacob bent over again and I was laid down on something soft that I realized he had walked us into his room and we were now laying on top of his bed; which I had made that morning. Jacob's left hand was gripping my right hip while his right hand had moved to rest on the bed beside my head, supporting his body above mine as his lips continued their beautiful assault on my neck. The fabric of Jacob's hoodie was bunching around my body as my legs fell to rest beside his thighs and it was making it nearly impossible for me to his body against mine. I could only really feel his warmth around me and I whimpered again, that time out of mild frustration.

"Jacob," I whispered and he lifted his head just as I opened my eyes. I looked up at him and I swear just the look in his eyes made my body feel like it was on fire, and it only made the _need _to be closer to him all the more stronger.

With slightly trembling hands I grabbed the hem of the hoodie and started to pull it up. As Jacob pulled back slightly, just enough to allow me to rise up and pull the hoodie off, I was pretty sure his eyes were as big as dinner plates. I giggled, yes giggled, as I tossed his hoodie onto the floor and laid back against his pillow. I raised my hands and them up his bare chest, his muscles twitching under my touch before I settled my hands on his shoulders.

"No more clothes will be coming off. Your hoodie was just getting in the way," I said and Jacob sighed before he laughed quietly. "Disappointed?" I asked as I tilted my head and he grinned as he shook his head.

"I'd be lying if I said 'no,' but just so you know I'll never pressure you for anything more than you're willing to give me, Rory," he said, making me smile up at him.

"I know, and I'm sorry I'm not ready for much more than this right now," I said and he shook his head once more before he leaned into me, brushing his nose against mine and ghosting his lips in a barely there kiss against my lips.

"Don't be," he whispered before he brushed his lips against mine once more and I sighed softly as my right hand slid up into his short hair. "This is just as good," he said before he kissed me, his left hand returning to my hip while my left arm wrapped around his upper back, pulling him even closer to me, his chest pressing against mine.

As we continued to kiss, I felt Jacob's hand that was on my hip slide up slightly and when his hand moved up, he pushed my t-shirt up and his skin was on my skin. I gasped at the feel of his heated touch on my waist and Jacob took the opportunity to deepen the kiss by slipping his tongue into my mouth. I had no idea what I was doing, but Jacob seemed to know _exactly _what he was doing and I was basically putty in his hands to do pretty much anything he pleased with.

My legs wrapped around his waist once again as he lowered himself even further on top of me by shifting his weight from his right hand to his right elbow beside my shoulder. Before I even really knew what I was doing I arched my hips up against Jacob's. He growled lowly and quietly into my mouth but didn't take his lips from mine. His hand tightened on my waist when my hips, on their own accord, began to twist against his. Jacob growled again as his left hand slid under my arched lower back while his right hand settled on the back of my neck before he was pulling me from where I laid on the bed.

I unhooked my legs from behind him and ended up straddling his lap as he sat back on his knees on the bed. Our kiss never broke throughout the whole movement and for the first time ever I had a height advantage on Jacob since I was straddling his lap and I scraped my left hand down his back before the tips of my fingers slipped into the waistband of his cut offs. Jacob growled into my mouth once again as I felt the hot flesh of his backside underneath my fingertips, but I made no move to slip my hand further down. Jacob's right hand was twisted in my hair while his left hand had found my backside, but his hand was on the _outside_ of my jeans. I whimpered again as Jacob's hand started helping guide my still rolling hips and the friction it created between our bodies was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

I had never even touched myself before, too embarrassed by the mere thought of it, but now I was starting to wonder why the hell I had never tried it before because the sensations coursing through me as I moved against Jacob was almost like magic. However, I had a feeling that the boy in question was playing a rather larger role in that than anything else. Suddenly, I felt a tightening in my lower stomach and not a second later my world exploded around me. I let out a quiet cry of surprise as I tore my mouth from Jacob's and his hold on me tightened as I heard him gasp and groan before he buried his face in my neck since my head was tilted back. My skin felt almost as hot as Jacob's as I came back down and the only sound in the room was Jacob's and my heavy breathing.

"I didn't know that that could happen with clothes on," I said quietly as I turned my head to rest on Jacob's and he chuckled before he pulled back slightly, which caused me to raise my head.

My blue eyes met his brown as he smiled at me and detangled his hand from my hair while both my hands moved to rest against his chest. However, his smile slipped away after a beat before he turned his face away from mine before he removed me from his lap, settled me on the bed, and turned away from me. To say I was surprised would have been an understatement, but I gathered my wits and just managed to stop him before he stood by wrapping my hands around his right arm.

"Jacob?" I asked, my voice sounding pathetically weak to my ears and I hated that; but by the way he was acting I figured Jacob was angry with me and I didn't know how to deal with it. "Jacob, I'm sorry." He finally looked at me then with a confused look on his face that I was sure matched mine. However, my mouth ran away from me before I could stop it. "I'm sorry," I said again as I shuffled closer to her and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. "I know I said I wasn't ready for anything more than kissing, and I really didn't mean for any of that to happen. My body seemed to just _move_ and I couldn't get myself to stop."

"Aurora," Jacob said, stopping my rant, which would have likely continued since I was completely mortified at my actions. "What are you apologizing for?" I blinked at him in surprise before I licked my lips and frowned.

"You're not upset?" I asked and he shook his head slowly with a look on his face that I really could not decipher.

"Why would I be upset?" he asked.

"Because I pretty much just used you like a cat uses a scratching post before you pushed me aside," I said. My face heated in embarrassment at my ridiculous choice of words and Jacob raised an eyebrow before he shook his head and scratched the back of his neck with his left hand as he looked away from me. It was then that I noticed a bright shade of pink race across Jacob's cheeks and down his neck as he lowered his hand back to his side with a soft sigh and turned his face back towards mine.

"I'm not mad at you, far from it actually," he said with a chuckle as he shook his head. "It's just . . . well, you're not the only one that got off on that, Rory, and that's not something that's so easy to hide for guys," he said in a whisper, his brown eyes holding mine steadily, and I blinked fast several times before I formed a small 'o' with my mouth. "Yeah," he said with another chuckle as he nodded, "and I've got to go and clean myself up."

"Oh," I said softly as I felt my face flame red and for some reason I started laughing.

"It's not funny," he said as he fought against a smile and I let go of his arm to cover my mouth with my right hand as I continued to laugh. "Rory," he said, no longer able to hold back his smile, but I continued to laugh. Why, I had no clue, but I watched as the tension left Jacob's shoulders and he rolled his eyes at me before he pulled my hand from my face and finally silenced my laughter with a kiss. "I'm going to clean up," he whispered against my lips and I nodded dumbly as a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

"I'll wait here," I said and he grinned, his cheeks still pink, before he kissed me once more. When he pulled away he stood from the bed, grabbed some shorts out of his dresser, and disappeared from the room. It wasn't until that I heard the bathroom door close that I let myself fall back against Jacob's pillow with even more quiet laughter as I stared up at the ceiling and a warm satisfied feeling filled my stomach. I, Aurora Bishop, had just made my boyfriend cum in his pants and had my first ever orgasm; all that after an early afternoon of watching vampires faux fight in front a cavalry of horse sized wolves. All in all it was one hell of a day.

* * *

"I don't want to go home," I said as Jacob and I laid on his bed and he chuckled as he continued to play with my hair. He was twisting the ends of my hair around his fingers as his arm was wrapped around me while I was once again practically lying on top of him. He'd opened the window in his bedroom this time around, letting in the chilly evening air, which allowed me to lay cuddled up with Jacob without feeling like I was roasting alive.

After Jacob had taken a shower and dressed, we had eaten some sandwiches and chips before we had returned to his bedroom and settled on his bed. We just talked this time around with a few stolen kisses every now and then, but nothing like our seriously heavy duty make out/dry humping session that had happened earlier that evening. Billy was still MIA, but he had called the house and told Jacob that he was having dinner at Quil's house that night and that he'd be home around eight, which was less than thirty minutes from then.

"I don't want you to go either, but we both know that Charlie's expecting you to come walking through the door anytime now," he said and I sighed as I drew random patterns on his bare chest with my left index finger.

"I hate that you're right," I said and he chuckled before he kissed the top of my head.

"You know we won't be apart for long," he said. "I can't really sleep without you anymore, so, be sure to open your bedroom window tonight when you go to bed." I smiled before I kissed his chest.

"Yes sir," I said jokingly and Jacob laughed before he kissed the top of my head once again. "I suppose you should take me home now, huh?" I asked.

"I suppose," he said dryly and I laughed as I sat up and looked down at him and the smirk that was on his lips before he too sat up, catching my lips in a soft kiss before he rested his forehead against mine. "I love you," he whispered and my hands moved to gently hold his face in my hands as I turned my head and kissed him chastely in response. There was a whole new level of intimacy between Jacob and I, like an unseen but heavily felt shift in the status of our relationship, and it was one that I welcomed with open arms. Even if I couldn't tell him I loved him yet I was glad for the change because it only brought me closer to finally telling him those words; and someday soon Jacob would know.

* * *

Despite the fact that I would be seeing Jacob again in less than a handful of hours, saying good bye to him as he dropped me off that night had been difficult to say the least. I swear, I could have stood there beside his motorcycle wrapped up in his arms and stealing even more kisses from him all night since I didn't seem to be able to stop, but eventually we had pulled apart. He had to go and take care of his dad and I had to face the music with Charlie since I had yet to figure out what Bella told him about what had happened to her. Jacob had promised to be back at the house by eleven, with my bag that I had left at his house, and I had watched him ride down the street before I made my way inside.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to come home," came Charlie's voice as I closed the front door and I smiled as I stepped out of my tennis shoes and walked into the living room.

"Sorry. I sort of lost track of the time," I said as I looked at Charlie and he smiled at me from where he sat on the sofa. Obviously since he was smiling at me Bella hadn't told him that it was me that busted her face up, and for that I was thankful.

"Did you have a nice day?" he asked and I walked further into the room before I sat down on the opposite side of the sofa, tucking my legs underneath me as I nodded.

"For the most part," I said. "I hung out with Jacob and his friends for most the day before Jacob and I had dinner together."

"That's good," he said slowly and I nodded before I turned my eyes to the TV. I wasn't sure what show he was watching, surprisingly it looked like some documentary on the history channel; which was not something I thought Charlie would watch. "Aurora?" Charlie asked and I looked at him.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I want to thank you for what you did for Bella yesterday," Charlie said, "even though I would have liked for one you to call me to let me know what happened." I furrowed my brow slightly and was about to ask him what he was talking about when I realized that Bella must have told Charlie _something_, but what I didn't know.

"Bella didn't want to worry you," I said and Charlie nodded his head.

"That doesn't surprise me, and neither does the fact that she tripped down the stairs at the Cullen's place. Thanks for keeping her calm until Alice was able to get Carlisle," Charlie said and I gave him a tight lipped smile.

"It was no problem, Charlie," I said and he smiled at me once again. I felt absolutely _terrible_ for going along with Bella's lie to Charlie, but if Bella hadn't told Charlie the lie, I would be in some serious trouble. In Charlie's eyes I knew it wouldn't matter what Bella said, because violence was never the answer; a lesson I was well aware of, but didn't heed the night before.

"So," he said after a few quiet beats between us, "how are things going with you and Jacob?" he asked and I couldn't help but smile as I looked down at my hands in my lap.

"Things are great," I said before I looked back at Charlie to see him once again smiling at me. "I really like him, Charlie." 'Like' wasn't the right word of course, but if I couldn't say the word 'love' to Jacob yet, I certainly couldn't say it to Charlie; and Charlie would think I was crazy for saying I was in love with Jacob so soon.

"Well, if half of what Billy says is true, Jacob really likes you too," he said and I felt my cheeks warm as my smile widened. "It seems like you and Bella have the same talent," Charlie said and I furrowed my brow slightly as I tilted my head curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked and he chuckled.

"When Bella had moved here, she had herself a boyfriend barely a month afterwards," he said and I laughed quietly when I saw where he was going before I shrugged my shoulders. "At least I can say that I actually like your boyfriend," he said and I laughed quietly before I rested my head on the back of the sofa.

"Edward's not _that_ bad, Charlie," I said and he hummed as he looked away from me.

"I still don't like him," he said before I lifted my head, "but Bella thinks she's in love with him. So, I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon." I smiled sadly as I looked at Charlie.

Over the last few weeks, I had asked a few questions about what was going to happen to Bella when she was changed and Alice had been kind enough to tell me. For at least a year, Bella would be forced to have no _physical_ contact with Charlie or her mom, Renee. She wouldn't even be allowed to be around me or just people in general until she became accustomed to her thirst and assimilated to the 'vegetarian' diet of the Cullens. Since I wouldn't have to change to be with Jacob, Charlie would still have me in his life; but I wasn't sure if it was that much of a consolation for him.

* * *

"What the hell?" I heard Jacob ask in a rather loud hiss as his arms tightened around me and I was startled awake from the rather nice dream I was having. I frowned slightly as I looked up at him with sleep filled eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly and a throat clearing drew my attention from Jacob's scowling face to the end of my bed where Edward was standing. "Edward?" I asked with a frown as I managed to pull myself away from Jacob so I could sit up. However, Jacob's arm was quick to wrap around me as he too sat up. I rubbed at my face with my hand to clear away the sleep that still lingered and after doing so I saw the slightly troubled look on Edward's face. "What's happened?"

"We, meaning all of us, need to talk," he said simply. "Bella's already downstairs." I nodded as I ran my hand over the top of my head.

"Where's Charlie?" I asked.

"The station," he said and with that Edward was gone. I sighed as I looked at Jacob who was still scowling at the empty air, which had been where Edward was standing a second before.

"Relax," I whispered before I kissed his tight and tense jaw, drawing his eyes to my face. Upon landing there, his scowl melted away before he sighed quietly. "Come on, we need to go see what's going on," I said as I climbed from the bed and tugged at the hem of my t-shirt and fixed my shorts while Jacob climbed from the bed. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" I asked curiously as we walked into the hallway and started down the stairs; Jacob shook his head negatively.

"Last I'd heard nothing's changed since we left the meeting with the Cullens yesterday," he said as he ran his fingers through his bed head, which still stuck up in various directions once he was done. I nodded and once we reached the foot of the stairs, Jacob was quick to take my hand before the two of us walked into the kitchen. Bella was sitting at the table with Edward standing beside her, and both of them looked up at us when we walked into the room. "What's so important that you had to wake us up at seven in the morning?" Jacob asked after he glanced at the clock and Edward opened his mouth, but Bella cut him off.

"I think Victoria's the one that's behind this newborn army," she said, "and why they're coming here."

"Victoria?" I asked. "As in the redheaded vampire you told me about that's out to kill you?" I asked, and Edward stiffened while Bella nodded. "Alice has been watching her though," I said with a frown. "Wouldn't she have seen her decide to make an army?" I asked, turning my eyes to Edward.

"Bella thinks she's hiding behind the army," Edward said, "and that someone else is making the decisions for her."

"Okay," I said slowly as my still sleep filled brain tried to process everything as fast as possible.

"If it's the redhead that's behind this, then why were the leeches that the pixie saw in her vision passing around Rory's scent too?" Jacob asked, his grip on my hand tightening.

"Aurora isn't even on her radar," Edward said as he shook his head, "but the fact that her sweater was passed around with Bella's blouse could mean that whoever is the one making the decisions for Victoria didn't know which girl was which when he or she was sent to get something to lead the newborns to Bella."

"So, what does this mean?" I asked. "If Victoria really is the one behind all of this and there's more than meets the eye to this grand plan she's cooked up, what are we going to do?"

"If Victoria's involved, we need to keep both you and Bella as far away from the fight as possible," Edward said as he shook his head.

"For once I agree with you," Jacob said roughly as he let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around.

"When I talked to Jasper yesterday, he said that Aurora or I could be of help," she said and I blinked as I looked at her.

"You mean bait, don't you?" I asked and Bella sighed as she looked at me.

"We won't need your help," Edward said quickly as he shook his head. "You said it yourself, Aurora, with the wolves' help it's an easy win. The rest of us aren't going to have enough to do."

"Which is it?" Bella asked as she stood and Edward looked at her. "Either it's so dangerous that we have to hide or that it's so easy that you're going to be sidelined."

"It's dangerous for you, but it's easy for us," Edward said as he shook his head yet again.

"Okay, I get it; dangerous for the humans and easy as pie for the supernatural beings," I said as I moved away from Jacob and looked between Edward and him. "That still doesn't solve the problem of the revenge fueled vampire out for Bella's blood, who is hiding behind her army of killer newborn vampires. For all we know once she' sees that Bella isn't wherever it is you're going to lead the newborns she's going to come looking. Charlie will be in danger and Lord knows how many other people that happen to step into her path. What then?" Edward looked at Bella and Bella at him while I turned my eyes to Jacob, who closed the small distance I had put between us and gently grabbed me by the hips before he pulled me closer to him.

"She's right," Jacob said before he turned his head towards Edward, who looked at him in return. "They can't stay here and we can't leave them on their own somewhere."

"The only way we can protect them fully is to be with them," Edward said and I felt Jacob's body stiffen. "Jasper's determined the best location for the battle to take place. We'll lure them there with the girls' scents. No offense to you, Aurora, but when we do that you'll have to shower and refrain from touching Jacob in any way until we get there. His . . . odor covers yours too much and it's revolting."

"Dude, you _really_ don't want to start comparing stinks," Jacob said and I gently smacked his side.

"Jacob, he's saying that your scent masks mine completely," I said when he looked at me for smacking him.

"Which leads me to my next point," Edward said. "If we're going to take the girls somewhere safe, a campsite maybe that's far enough away from the fight, I can't carry Bella. They'll be able to track my scent with hers."

"So, you want me to carry both of them?" Jacob asked with a raised eyebrow and Edward shook his head.

"Another member of the pack could carry Bella while you carry Aurora to where it is we're going to go the night before the battle," Edward said and Jacob nodded as he let go of my hips and took hold of my hand.

"I won't be able to stay any longer with her than until the morning," Jacob said as he looked at Edward and I frowned as I looked at Jacob. "Sam's orders. I'm biggest and the strongest. He'll want me there. It'll likely be Seth that'll carry Bella to the campsite, he's the most junior of the pack that's fight eligible in Sam's eyes. He'll come back to the campsite when it's time for me to go. With one of us there, you'll have a connection to the battle through his mind. You'll be able to know what's going."

"Thank you, Jacob," Edward said and Jacob shook his head.

"I'm not doing any of this for you," he said before he looked at me. "Come on, Rory, he said quietly. "You need to get dressed so we can head over to Sam's. Emily will have breakfast for us." I nodded numbly and followed Jacob back up to my room. He let go of my hand and moved over to my bed to make it for me, and I took a step towards my dresser but stopped to look at him.

"You're really not going to be able to stay with me?" I asked him softly and he looked at me.

"No," he said just as softly before he came over to stand in front of me, "but I'll be able to watch over you thanks to Seth."

"Don't," I said as I shook my head. "Don't worry about me while you're fighting. Just, focus on the fight, okay?"

"Okay," he said before he his hands found my hips once again. "It'll all work out, Rory. We'll all be fine."

"I know," I said before I forced a small smile and wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight, a small bit of fear settling in my stomach as I did so. I think the reality of everything was finally sinking in, and I was suddenly almost afraid to let Jacob go; but like I had told Bella yesterday I trusted Jacob, and I trusted that he would make it out of the impending battle unscathed and come back to me in one piece.


	15. Chapter 15

So, yeah, I know the last chapter went up like twelve hours ago; but since this chapter pretty much follows what happens during the fight scene it didn't take me all that long to finish. Especially since I had nothing better to do this morning since it's cold and rainy where I live today and I'm a 'hunting widow' because the boyfriend is on a deer hunting trip this weekend with a couple of his friends. Anyway, thank you all so much for your reviews for the last chapter, and I hope you all enjoy this one as well. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_ or the dialogue from the movie 'Eclipse' that I used in this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

I winced as I pricked my finger for what felt like the millionth time as I followed behind Bella that evening and marked various trees and plants with tiny specks of my blood that would lead the newborn vampires to the location Jasper had selected for the battle. Bella had been acting a little off ever since Jacob had reluctantly dropped me off at the Cullen's that morning. Last night, under the guise of having a sleepover with Alice and Bella at Alice's house I had spent the night at Jacob's while Bella had stayed with Edward. The rest of the Cullens had gone hunting to make sure they were at their strongest for the fight that day. Since I'd spent the night with Jacob, he dropped me off at the Cullens that morning so I could shower and get ready. Bella had taken my bag with her when she'd gone to Edward's house night before so I would be completely wolf camouflage free until it was necessary.

"You two are going a little overboard, don't you think?" Edward asked when we finally met up with him and I gestured towards Bella as I pulled some tissue out of my jacket pocket and wrapped it around my fingers.

"That would be her doing. She said the more the better," I said before I heard her sigh quietly.

"I figured that if this was all we can contribute, that we should be thorough," Bella said.

"The newborns will be frantic," Edward said as he looked down at Bella's hand.

"Awesome," I said dryly as Edward took her hand into his and looked at the cut on her finger that was still bleeding slightly. I looked at Edward with a raised eyebrow but kept my mind blank as I quietly watched the pair.

"It's okay," Bella said. "Don't make yourself uncomfortable."

"It doesn't bother me anymore," Edward said as he shook his head.

"Really?" I asked, unable to stop myself and when Edward looked at me I shot him a quick smile that made the corners of his lips turn up slightly before he looked back at Bella.

"Since when?" Bella asked.

"Since I spent twenty-four hours thinking you were dead," Edward said with the most serious expression I had ever seen on the vampire's face and that was saying something since Edward _always_ had a serious expression on his face. "You're not wearing your ring," he said and I frowned.

"Ring? What ring?" I asked and Bella shuffled her feet as I looked between her and Edward. Edward looked at me briefly once more before he returned his eyes to Bella.

"I didn't want to risk losing it," Bella said and I was even more confused.

"What are you two talking about?" I asked.

"I asked Bella to marry me last night," Edward said as he looked away from Bella and settled his golden eyes with my blue, "and she said yes."

"Oh," I said. I shouldn't have been surprised, after all Bella would soon be turning into a vampire to be with Edward forever, but I was. "Well, um, congratulations?" It came out as more of a question and I grimaced at the uncertainty in my voice, which earned me a smile from Edward.

"Thank you," he said and I nodded before I looked at Bella.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her curiously and she shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I wanted to wait until after the fight," she said, "when everything was over with."

"If you're having second thoughts," Edward started, but Bella interrupted him.

"I'm not," she said as she looked at him. "I'm not, Edward, I just want to wait until it's all over and we can all celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" came Jacob's voice from behind me and I turned around to see a shirtless khaki short clad Jacob heading my way with a smiling Seth trailing right alongside him. I smiled at Seth before I turned my eyes to Jacob and I had just managed to resist the urge I had to run over to him and throw myself in his arms.

"The end of all of this," Bella said as they closed the distance between us and I looked at her over my shoulder. I wasn't _exactly _sure why Bella didn't want to tell Jacob, or the whole world really, that she was engaged; but I had a feeling it was because she had yet to heed my advice and actually let go of her feelings for Jacob. I turned my attention back to my boyfriend when I felt his radiating heat draw close to me and I saw that he was looking between Edward and Bella.

"That will be something to celebrate," Jacob said before he turned his eyes to me and smiled. "You look good even if you smell to high heaven," he said in a whisper before he winked at me, and I felt my cheeks warm slightly as I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. I looked like I always did only this time around I had on a down jacket that Alice insisted I wear, a scarf, and a knit cap. I even had thermal long johns on underneath my jeans t-shirt, and sweater I was wearing because Alice said I needed to dress warm since we were going high up in the mountains.

"Alice said that there is a storm coming," Edward said suddenly and I shifted my feet so I was looking at him. He looked troubled for some reason and I don't know why but I had the strangest urge to just give him a hug. He seriously looked like he needed one, but Jacob would probably wolf out on me if I did. Edward's eyes flickered to me and I gave him an encouraging smile and I was rewarded slightly with a small quirk of the corners of his lips.

"Yeah," Jacob said, his hand moving to rest at the small of my back, "Seth and I can feel it. We should get going." Edward nodded and looked at Bella.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours," he said as he moved over to her and kissed her forehead slowly and it was rather obvious that Bella not wearing the ring Edward had given her hurt the vampire more than he was willing to verbally admit. Edward walked away then, carrying the two packs that held the tent and various supplies he had packed for our overnight stay in the middle of nowhere.

"Everything okay?" Jacob asked as he watched Edward walk away before he looked at Bella.

"Other than a bunch of vampires trying to kill me, yeah," she said and Jacob laughed.

"So, same old same old, then?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah," she said before she looked over at Seth. "Hey Seth," she said and the younger boy beamed a smile at her.

"Hey Bella, ready?" he asked as he walked over to her and she nodded.

"Yeah," she said again before she put her left arm around his shoulders and he easily lifted her from the ground. In a swift motion, I found myself in the same position in Jacob's arms and I laughed before I hastily swung my arms around his neck.

"Give a girl a warning next time," I said with a smile and he grinned at me.

"Sorry," he said before he kissed my nose and the four of us started to make our way to the campsite.

* * *

"Wow, talk about a temperature change," I said as Jacob helped me up the rocks and Seth did the same for Bella before she was quick to rush over to Edward since we had finally reached out destination. I shivered a bit despite my many layers and Jacob was quick to take me into his arms. Even only in a pair of shorts Jacob didn't feel the cold and for the first time I was jealous of Jacob's supernatural powers.

"You should head back home, Seth," Jacob said. "The storm's going to hit soon and I don't want you to get caught in it. Be back here in the morning to take my place."

"All right," Seth said heavily. "Bye guys."

"See you in the morning, Seth," I said with a smile as I lifted my head and Seth gave me a sad smile before he turned and started to head home. "He's not very happy about the whole thing is he?" I asked Jacob as I turned my head to look up at him and he smiled at me.

"Not really," he said. "He's not happy about missing the action, but it'll keep him out of trouble. Brady and Collin are guarding the reservation, but they won't have much to do either."

"And Charlie's with your dad right?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yep. Fishing," he said dryly and I laughed quietly before I rested my head on his chest once more.

"We should get them in the tent," Edward said and I felt Jacob nod. Sharing a tent with a shape-shifter and a vampire was definitely going to be an interesting experience.

* * *

If it wasn't for Jacob's heat as he laid with me inside my sleeping bag that night, I was sure I would have frozen to death as the wind started howling and heavy snow started falling outside. Bella, who was lying behind me, wasn't faring so well, however, and I felt slightly guilty for hogging Jacob; especially when I saw the pained and worried expression on Edward's face. There was nothing he could do to help Bella. Since his skin was like ice he would only make her colder, and as much as I hated the idea of Bella cuddling up to Jacob when she had yet to let go of her feelings for him, it was only fair to share my personal space heater with her. That is if he was willing and Edward was okay with it.

"Jacob," I said in a soft whisper and the glow from the lantern Edward had on allowed me to see Jacob's face clearly. He looked at me and I bit my lip as I gestured behind me with my eyes. He looked at Bella before he sighed quietly, nodded, and looked at Edward. I knew Edward had heard everything I'd been thinking and I wasn't the least bit surprised when he answered Jacob's unspoken question.

"Please," Edward said and Jacob nodded.

"Bella," Jacob said and I heard her move behind me, but I kept my eyes on Jacob's chest as I did my best to quell the sudden appearance of the little green monster that had no real reason to be there in the first place. "Rory and I are going to switch places. Scoot closer to me and you'll warm up."

"Y-y-you sure?" she asked and I knew she was talking to me, so, I took a deep breath and rolled over slightly so I could see her. She looked like she was miserable and the fading bruises and nearly gone black eye wasn't helping any; and I couldn't help but nod.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile before I looked at Jacob. Without climbing out of my thankfully extra-large sleeping bag, Jacob climbed over me and we had switched positions so he was now lying between Bella and I. Much to my chagrin he remained facing me, moving his back to Bella, and I smiled at him as his left arm wrapped around my waist while I heard Bella shuffle closer to his back. I felt him stiffen for a second before he relaxed and I heard Bella's soft relieved sigh. I looked over Jacob and over at Edward and gave him a small smile, one that he returned with a sorrow filled one of his own and I knew then that at that moment Edward wanted nothing more than to be able to read Bella's mind.

* * *

I'd fallen asleep not long after we had shifted positions, but voices woke me up. I wasn't fully awake; it was more like that hazy nearly awake but still asleep place you find yourself in sometimes. However, despite my hazy state of mind, it took me all of a second to realize that the voices were Edward and Jacob and it sounded like they were actually having a civil conversation. Once again, I did my best to keep my mind completely blank and void of any thoughts as I listened in to their conversation.

"When you thought she was gone," I heard Jacob say, "that you lost her, how did you cope?"

"There are no words," Edward said softly, "but I wouldn't wish it on anyone, Jacob. Not even you."

"I couldn't imagine . . . I can't even _think_ about something happening to Rory without feeling like the world is ending," Jacob said, and my heart lurched at his quiet admission. Of all people to have this kind of conversation with, Jacob was having it with Edward and I couldn't believe it.

"She feels the same way, you know. She loves you," Edward said and if I wasn't pretending to be asleep I would have sat up and smacked the vampire. Thankfully, I was able to keep my mind blank despite my sudden anger and I heard Jacob scoffed a quiet laugh.

"I really don't need you to tell me how my girlfriend feels about me," he said.

"Maybe not, but it's true," Edward said. "She's just afraid to say the words out loud." Silence fell between them for a few beats before I heard Jacob sigh.

"I know," Jacob said quietly and it was then that I felt his warm index finger gently run down my cheek and along my jaw. Jacob's hand fell away and the pair settled into silence once again. I was starting to fall back to into sleep when I heard Edward speak once more.

"This might sound odd coming from me, but I'm glad you're here," he said. "If we weren't natural enemies, I might actually like you." I smiled to myself at his words, but I was fast asleep before I could hear Jacob's reply.

* * *

"Rory," came Jacob's gentle voice as I felt his fingers brush my hair away from my forehead. "Rory," he said again and I scooted closer to him burrowing my face his chest, and making him laugh. "Aurora, it's time to wake up. I want to say good bye before I leave," he said and those words got my attention. I lifted my head, my sleepy blue eyes meeting his brown. "Morning," he said and I forced a small smile. Bella and Edward weren't in the tent, but I really didn't care about that right then.

"No saying good bye, Jacob," I whispered as I raised my right hand to the side of his face and he smiled at me.

"Okay, no saying good bye," he agreed before I raised up slightly and kissed him. For a moment, he kissed me back but the kiss barely lasted because he pulled back from me and sighed. "I have to go," he said and I nodded reluctantly as he stood and helped me to my feet. It wasn't as cold as it had been yesterday, so I opted out of putting my jacket back on when I followed Jacob outside. Seth was already there, at least I assumed it was Seth since he was already in his wolf form; however, I'd gotten all the confirmation I needed that it was indeed the younger boy when the wolf's mouth opened and his tongue lolled out in what would be a lopsided human smile.

"Hi Seth," I said quietly as I couldn't help but smile back at him and he let out a slight gruff before he jogged off. Where, I wasn't sure, but as he jogged away I saw Bella standing with Edward.

"It's almost time," Edward said and I nodded as I tightened my hold on Jacob's hand and turned my eyes to him.

"I'll be back," Jacob promised as he looked at me and raised his free left hand to the side of my face, brushing the loose strands of my hair away that had worked free of the long braid while I had slept. I nodded as, for some reason, traitorous tears lined my eyes.

"Okay," I whispered and Jacob leaned in to kiss me as he held my face in his hand. I let go of his hand to wrap my arms around his neck as he kissed me slowly and deeply; and for a terrifying moment it felt like he was saying good bye.

I clung to his shoulders as the kiss ended and he rested his forehead against mine. After a beat he pulled away, taking one than two steps back from me, but not turning away. There were so many things that I wanted to say as I stared up into his eyes, but there wasn't enough time. So I blurted the first thing that came to mind hoping it was enough to bring him back to me in the end.

"I love you," I breathed and the fire that lit up his dark eyes gave me hope that it had done the trick. He closed the distance he had created between us then and grabbed my face with both of his hands before he kissed me hard. My fingers dug into his waist as I kissed him back, but much too soon he pulled away from me, his hands still holding on to my face.

"I love you too," he said when our eyes met and I smiled at him. With one last sweet chaste kiss, Jacob let go of me and took a step back. He turned around and took off in a jog, disappearing from my sight as he made his way down the ridge and I wrapped my arms around my stomach as I watched him go.

"He'll be all right," Edward said, drawing my eyes to him. Bella was tucked at his side and was giving me a sad smile and I nodded my head before I raised my hands and wiped at the tears that had fallen when I could no longer see him.

"I know," I said quietly and after a few minutes of idle chit chat between the three of us as we stood around, not really knowing what to do, Seth reappeared and he was growling quietly. Edward moved away from Bella and walked closer to where Seth had come to a stop and Bella and I soon followed. We stood beside each other as Seth and Edward had a small stare down before Edward and Seth both turned their heads towards us.

"It's starting," Edward said. I'm not even sure why I did it, maybe for some sort of comfort, but I took hold of Bella's right hand with my left and to my surprise she gave my hand a reassuring squeeze that I really needed at that moment. "Jacob just got there," Edward said after several _long_ minutes of silence and my heart started racing as my stomach sank. "He's good," Edward said with a small nod. It seemed like forever before Edward's eyes suddenly widened and my hold on Bella's hand tightened.

"Is someone hurt?" I asked quickly and the panic I saw fill Edward's eyes scared me.

"She's close. I can hear her thoughts," he said suddenly and I frowned.

"Victoria," Bella whispered and my grip on her had slacked before she quickly moved to Edward's side.

"Seth go," Edward ordered and Seth disappeared again. "Aurora," he said as he held out his left hand to me and I moved to stand with him and Bella without even thinking. "She knew we weren't there, but she caught my scent," he said as he looked around, his sharp eyes scanning the trees and open space around us. "She knew Bella would be with me so she followed it," he said, his voice tight.

"She found us," Bella said and I looked up at Edward in time to see him frown.

"And she's not alone," he said and it was then that a young man slowly started walking our way. It took me a minute, but I recognized his face from the flier Charlie had had on the table all those weeks ago; and Edward gently nudged Bella and me behind him. "Riley, listen to me," he said. "Victoria's just using you to distract me. She knows I'll kill you." Just then, we all heard a thump and I looked towards the sound to see a redheaded woman with anger in her blood red eyes. "In fact, she'll be glad she doesn't have to deal with you anymore."

"Don't listen, Riley," the redhead, Victoria, said. "I told you about their mind tricks. They even have the other one here, the one you were drawn to to distract you." Obviously, she was talking about me and I swallowed hard when I saw that Riley's eyes were dancing between Edward and me.

"I can read her mind," Edward said drawing Riley's full attention to him as Bella and I shuffled a little closer together and further behind Edward. "I know what she thinks of you."

"He's lying," Victoria said.

"She only created you and this arm to avenge her true mate, James," Edward said and I could see doubt start to cloud Riley's anger and hunger filled face. "That's the only thing she cares about. Not you. Not anything else but that." Riley looked at Victoria then and she at him.

"There's only you," she said. "You know that." If I wasn't scared out of my mind right then, I would have called bullshit because even I could hear the waver and lie in her voice. Surely, Riley could hear it too.

"Think about it," Edward said. "You're from Forks. You know the area. That's the only reason she chose you. She doesn't love you."

"Riley, don't let him do this to us," Victoria said. "You know I love you." For a moment, I dared to think that Edward had gotten through to Riley. That the guy realized that Victoria didn't love him and that Edward was telling him the truth, but when he took a step closer, I knew he didn't believe Edward at all.

"You're dead," he said simply before he snarled and started to lunge, but with a roaring growl Seth appeared out of nowhere and took him down.

"Seth," I whispered, as Edward moved Bella and me back a bit and I watched as Seth managed to grab a screaming Riley by the shoulder before he threw him to the ground and literally bit off his left hand. Riley let out a roaring howl while Edward took several steps forward away from Bella and I when Victoria jumped down from her perch and started to run away.

"You won't get another chance like this again," Edward said and Victoria stopped in her tracks. Bella grabbed a hold of me, her left hand holding on to my right while her right hand rested on the crook of my elbow. I didn't know what to do, so, I offered her the same bit of comfort she had given me by putting my left hand over her right that rested on my elbow. My attention was torn between Seth, who was tearing at a still screaming Riley and Victoria who had slowly turned around to look at us. "You want her," Edward yelled. "You want me to feel the same pain you felt when I killed James. When I tore him to pieces. When I turned him into ash," Edward said, egging Victoria on to fight him, and it was working because she was shaking in anger and growling. "When I turned him into nothing."

Victoria let out a roar then as she charged for Edward. She collided with him and the pair slid across the snow, coming to a stop a few feet away from Bella and I. Victoria was quick to her feet and made to grab for Bella, but Edward was fast enough to grab ahold of her and throw her away from us and into a tree. Edward took hold of both Bella and I and forced us to run he pushed us away, causing both Bella and I to stumble a bit, but we caught our footing before we turned around to watch him push over the tree that Victoria was still in. I caught sight of Seth then, who was still fighting Riley. Riley kicked Seth in the head and the wolf collapsed ground.

"Seth," I said as I took a step to run over to him, but Bella grabbed me.

"No, Aurora," she said, keeping me in place and I watched as Riley joined the fight against Edward alongside Victoria. Victoria got the upper hand and Bella was starting to panic. "We need to do something," she said suddenly. "He's losing!" My mind was spinning with worry for Jacob, Seth, Edward, and everyone else, but I knew Bella was right. Edward was about to lose, and we needed to do something. Anything to try and get Edward the upper hand; and that's when it hit me.

"I know," I said before I pulled out of her grasp and looked for something sharp.

"What?" Bella asked quickly, but I didn't answer her. When I found a rock with a sharp edge, I ran closer to the fighting vampires, stopping about fifteen feet away from them. They all looked at me, Riley had Edward's arms and Victoria had his head. They were about to end him, but with as much force as I could muster I dug the sharp edge of the rock into my forearm and ran it across it. Blood started pouring down my arm and dripping off my finger tips and into the snow. It was a steady stream as I made another cut just for good measure and the blood was enough of a distraction to Riley and Victoria that Edward managed to get the upper hand.

Edward threw Victoria away and then threw Riley towards the rocks and that's when Seth appeared out of nowhere again and attacked Riley once more. Relief filled me when I saw that Seth was okay. Riley started crying out for Victoria's help, but the redheaded vampire just sneered at him as she let Seth drag Riley away to finish what he had started. She turned her eyes to me then, and in all honesty I wasn't surprised since I was still bleeding all over the place. For the moment, Bella was forgotten and since I didn't know where she was at the moment, I hoped that she managed to get a little further away from the psychotic vampire. Victoria started for me, but Edward cut her off and less than thirty seconds later it was all over. Edward, literally, bit Victoria's head off before he sat back, clearing his throat awkwardly, and Bella appeared at my side.

"Are you okay?" she asked me and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "Fine."

"How'd you think to do that?" she asked and I watched Edward as he stood and walked over to me.

"Jacob," I said quietly as Edward came to a stop in front of me. He ripped a rather large piece of fabric from the bottom of his shirt before he wrapped it tightly around my forearm and over the still bleeding cuts. He had a grateful look on his face as our eyes met, and I nodded slightly.

"Jacob?" Bella asked and I looked at her.

"It's a long story," I said. "One that I should probably tell you later," I finished when Seth came trotting over and it was easy to see by the way he was moving and growling that something was definitely wrong. "What's happened?" I asked as I looked up at Edward and he shook his head as he took a step back from me and grabbed Bella's hand.

"Alice needs us to go. Now," he said before he turned away and threw a lighter on Victoria's body, which blew up into flames in less than a second. "Seth will take you, Aurora, we need to go," he said before he flung Bella onto his back and Seth was quickly in front of me. He lowered himself and I climbed onto his back before Edward took off running with Bella and Seth and I were hot on his heels.

* * *

When we reached the battle scene, Seth let me down and I jogged over to the Cullens right behind Edward and Bella. The Cullens had a pile of bodies burning and I did a quick head count, relieved to see that they were all accounted for. "How long?" Edward asked and they all turned to look at us.

"A few minutes," Alice said. "Maybe ten?"

"The pack needs to leave," Carlisle said. "The Volturi won't honor a truce with the werewolves, and Aurora, you need to go with them." His expression was one of concern, especially after I saw his golden eyes flicker to my left arm, and Esme's face mirrored his.

"Wait, the Volturi are coming?" I asked with wide eyes and Carlisle nodded. I heard a quiet huff and I turned my head to see Jacob trotting out of the trees and while I was now once again scared out of my mind, I was relieved to see that he was okay. He looked away from me and I followed his gaze only to see the wolf that I had assumed was Leah, but it was what I saw next that made my stomach sink. All the Cullens turned around when a lone newborn came wondering out of the woods, and Leah went in for the attack.

"Leah don't!" Edward shouted as he let go of Bella's hand and it was then that I saw the newborn had its arms wrapped around her throat and had the upper hand. Over Leah's growls I heard a roaring growl and I knew instantly it was Jacob. I looked towards him only to see him, like Edward, running to help Leah. Jacob got there first and got the newborn off Leah. However, the newborn got on Jacob's back and I could feel that something bad was about to happen.

"Jacob!" I screamed when I heard Jacob whine and without thinking I started running for him when the newborn threw him to the ground. "Jacob!" I screamed again as Sam and several other wolves took the newborn down, and to my horror Jacob was lying on the ground as a human and completely naked as he silently cried out in excruciating pain. Carlisle and Edward beat me to his side and I could feel the tears falling as I slid on my knees in the grass and came to a stop right above his head.

"Jacob, hold on," Edward said. "Carlisle's going to take care of you."

"The bones on the right half of his body are shattered," Carlisle said and Jacob looked up at me. He was sweating and I could see the pain on his face and all I wanted to do was take it away.

"Aurora," he whispered and I sniffed quietly as I tried to muster a small smile, but failed.

"I'm here, Jacob," I whispered through my tears and I had to hold myself back from touching him. "I'm here." It was then that Sam, Jared, Leah, and the others came running out of the woods, all human and all wearing clothes.

"Jacob, you idiot, I had it!" Leah shouted and I looked up at her and glared at her through my tears.

"Leah!" Sam shouted at her before he walked over to kneel next to Carlisle.

"Carlisle, can you help him?" I asked and he looked at me before he nodded his head and returned his eyes to Jacob.

"Yes. I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in," Carlisle said and the tears just wouldn't stop falling. "It's already starting."

"We need to get him out here," Edward said. "We're not going to win a fight with the Volturi.

"We'll take him back to Billy's," Sam said suddenly, and I looked at him. Carlisle wouldn't be able to go to Billy's to help Jacob if they took him there. He couldn't cross the treaty line. I was about to say for them to take him to Bella's and my house since Charlie was still gone, but Carlisle spoke before I could.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Carlisle said and Sam nodded. I realized then that they were going to make a one-time exception for Carlisle so he could help Jacob. "Aurora, go with them," Carlisle said as he helped me to my feet and the guys picked Jacob up. I nodded as I wiped at my tears with my free hand and he squeezed my hand that was in his when Jacob's groans and cries of pain made me wince. I let go of Carlisle's hand and quickly followed after the others with Leah walking along side me.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! Thank you all SO much for your reviews and adds. I'm really glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well. Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Every step the guys took made Jacob groan or gasp in pain and as I walked behind them each sound was like a knife in my heart; however, I had managed to keep my tears in check. I was no longer blubbering away even though I could feel them threatening to overpower my will and start to fall again, especially when one of Jacob's cries of pain was loud and echoed throughout the trees. I felt helpless as I walked behind the guys and beside Leah who I knew was angry that Jacob had jumped in to save her ass. Thankfully, Sam had said that we were almost there and part of me was relieved that they would soon be able to get him into his bed and wait for Carlisle to come; which I hoped was soon.

"This wouldn't have happened if he would have just butted out," Leah said under her breath, but I heard her well enough, as did the guys but they said nothing in response. "I had that leech."

"If I remember right, that leech had you around the throat," I said, my voice surprisingly even as I looked at her and Leah turned her narrowed eyes to me. "Jacob saved you, so, instead of being angry with him be thankful he was there. It could have been you that the guys had to carry home, or worse." She growled quietly at me and clenched her hands into fists, but to my surprise she said nothing as she turned her eyes away from me. I was expecting a snappy comeback or at least a little name calling from the other girl, but she said nothing to me. I think the guys were even surprised because I saw Paul glance over his left shoulder before he returned his eyes forward.

It seemed like forever before we finally broke through the trees and Jacob's house came into view. Emily and Kim were actually outside with Billy and Collin and Brady were right alongside them. One look at Billy's worried and concern filled face made tears once again line my eyes as I broke out into a run and rushed over to them. I wasn't sure if he knew that Carlisle would be coming since that agreement had been made when none of the guys were phased, so, Collin and Brady wouldn't have been able to pass the message on. Billy didn't like the Cullens and I wanted to give the man a heads up.

"Sam agreed to let Carlisle come to take care of him," I said only slightly winded once I reached Billy and the others and he nodded stiffly. "I know you don't like him, Billy, but Carlisle's the only one that will be able to help him; and he will. He may be a vampire, but he really is a good man at the same time."

"I know, Aurora," Billy said, his voice stained. "I know." The guys reached us then and they were quick to carry Jacob inside. I made to follow, but Billy caught my right hand, stopping me. I looked at him. "What happened there?" he asked and I frowned before I followed his gaze to my half hazardly bandaged left forearm, which (along with my hand) was still covered in my now dried blood. Billy and the others knew all about our plan and how Bella and I were going to be hidden from the fight. Obviously, neither Collin nor Brady had filled them in on what I had happened up on the mountain. I knew they knew since Seth was there, but I brushed off the thought.

"I took a page out of your tribe's legends," I said as Billy let go of my hand and I watched as his eyebrows rose.

"What do you mean, Aurora?" Emily asked from where she stood behind Billy's chair and I looked at her.

"Two vampires came to the campsite we had set up," I said and I heard Emily and Kim gasp while Billy's eyes widened. "Seth had one occupied while Edward fought the other one. The one vampire got the better of Seth after a few minutes and joined his partner. Edward was losing, and I needed to do _something. _It was then that I remembered the story you told about Third Wife's sacrifice and I figured a good cut on the arm would work just as well; and it did. Edward got the upper hand and when Seth joined in both vampires were destroyed."

"We should get that taken care of for you," Kim said as she took a step towards me, but I just shook my head.

"I'm fine for now," I said. "I've got to check on Jacob." With that, I turned away from them and marched inside. I was in the living room when the guys were coming out of the hallway. "How is he?" I asked quickly.

"He's still in pain, but some of the bones have already healed. They're not where they should be," Sam said and I swallowed hard. Embry, Quil, Jared, Paul, and Seth made their way outside with the others and I ran my right hand down my face to wipe at the trails left behind by the few tears that had fallen when I had approached Billy. "The doc's going to have to break them again to set them properly."

"Which only means more pain for him," I said, my voice shaking even though I tried to keep it even, and Sam sighed quietly as he put a warm comforting hand on my right shoulder.

"You should go in there with him until the doc gets here," Sam said. "You won't be able to do anything, but just by being close to him you'll make him feel a little better." I nodded as Sam lowered his hand and I didn't need to be told twice. I quickly walked around him, down the short hall, and into Jacob's room. He was lying on his bed, his teeth gritted together as he stared up at the ceiling and was doing his best to control his breathing.

"Jacob," I whispered and he turned his head slightly in my direction and in a rush I crossed the distance of his room and kneeled down next to his bed.

"I'm okay," he assured me quietly, his voice tight and pain filled. I let out a bitter laugh as I shook my head and more tears filled my eyes as I looked at him. I raised my trembling left hand to his head before I gently ran my fingers through his sweat soaked hair.

"Sure you are," I said quietly. "Only the entire right side of your body was shattered into little tiny pieces, Jacob. You're perfectly fine."

"Sarcasm really isn't your thing, Rory," he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the immense amount of pain I knew he was in and I sighed as I continued to run my fingers through his hair. He grimaced and groaned as he closed his eyes and I moved a little closer to him and stilled my hand in his hair but I didn't pull away.

"I know it hurts, Jacob, but Carlisle will be here soon," I said as a tear made its way down my cheek only to be quickly followed by another one and then another because I wasn't able to hold them back anymore. Slowly, the grimace left his face and he let out a heavy sigh before he opened his eyes and looked at me. I tried to muster a small smile, but with the tears that were falling it wasn't very convincing.

"Don't cry, Rory," he said quietly and I shook my head as I once again started to gently move my fingers through his hair.

"I can't help it," I said. "I don't like to see you like this and there's nothing I can do to stop the pain you're in. If I could take it away from you, I would. I wish I could, but I can't and it's killing me."

"There's something you can do to make me feel better," he said and I sniffed heavily.

"What's that?" I asked quietly.

"You can kiss me," he said, a small tiny grin on his lips. Unable to stop myself, I laughed softly before I sniffed again and let out a quiet sigh as I wiped at my nose with the back of my right hand.

"Yeah, I suppose I can do that," I said gently. Carefully, I leaned over Jacob's body and thankfully I managed to not even brush against his injured side before I pressed my lips to his. My fingers remained in his hair as my lips moved slowly over his, and he easily kissed me back.

I felt a few tears fall from my face and onto his, but my tears finally stopped falling as we kissed. However, the kiss didn't last long because Jacob turned his head away and grimaced and groaned as another wave of serious pain ripped through his body. Quickly, I removed my hand from his hair and moved away from him so fast that I actually lost my balance and fell backwards onto the floor of his room, landing hard on my backside as I looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," I said as he let out another heavy sigh and took a few slow deep breaths as he opened his eyes once again before he turned his head slightly to look at me.

"You didn't do anything, Rory," he said, his voice rough. "You weren't even touching me any place that hurts right now. Please just come back here, baby." My heart jumped at the term of endearment and after gathering myself I moved back to sit on my knees beside his bed and my left hand went back into his hair. He sighed softly and closed his eyes as my fingers laced through his damp black hair and after a beat he opened his eyes to look at me once more. "You didn't hurt yourself when you fell over did you?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No,"I said. "I didn't."

"Still can't believe your a dancer," he said a small grin once more making its way across his lips and I rolled my eyes.

"I told you before, it's only around you that I turn into an uncoordinated idiot," I said and Jacob let out a quiet scoff like laugh as he looked at me and I smiled at him, my fingers still playing with his hair.

It was then that Carlisle arrived with Sam in tow, and Jacob took a sharp breath, his smile vanishing as he grimaced in pain and turned his head away from me. Without a word between any of us, I moved away from Jacob's bedside, moving to stand back while Carlisle took my place beside Jacob's bed and Sam joined him as Carlisle sat his medical bag down on the floor beside him.

"You'll want to join the others outside, Aurora," Carlisle said as he turned to look at me. I hesitated as I looked at Jacob, who was still grimacing in pain and gritting his teeth as he tried to control his breathing which was once again slightly labored. I bit my lip as I looked back at Carlisle, unsure if I really wanted to leave Jacob's side, I heard Carlisle sigh softly as he shook his head. "This will not be a pleasant experience for anyone, and I think it's best that you don't see it, Aurora," Carlisle said, his tone gentle and his face full of understanding of my hesitation to leave Jacob alone. However, I knew he was right. I knew what Carlisle needed to do to help him, and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle witnessing him actually re-break and set Jacob's bones in place so they could heal properly.

"I know that it's going to hurt him, Carlisle, but please try and be as gentle as you possibly can," I said, my voice shaking and Carlisle nodded his head, his golden eyes remorseful because both of us knew that no matter what he did, Jacob would still be in immense pain.

"I'll do my best, Aurora," he said softly and I took a deep breath as I nodded my head. With one last look at Jacob, who was still grimacing, I turned on the balls of my feet and went outside with the others.

* * *

Yet another one of Jacob's pain filled screams echoed outside into the night air and I closed my eyes as my stomach once again twisted painfully before I turned my head into Embry's shoulder. Embry's arm tightened around me before he ran his hand up and down my upper left arm, and when Jacob's scream quieted I let out a heavy sigh and lifted my head as a few more tears made their way down my cheeks. Thankfully, I wasn't steadily crying, only a few tears falling now and again, but I knew that if it wasn't for the comfort Embry was giving me I would have been crying the whole time.

Embry had sat down beside me when I had practically collapsed to the ground at the sound of Jacob's first scream at least an hour earlier. He'd wrapped his arm around me to comfort me and he hadn't left my side since. No one had said much of anything since I walked outside of the house and Carlisle started working on Jacob. It was the first time any of the guys had been this quiet, at least in the time that I had known them, and it was all because they were worried about Jacob.

"How much longer do you think it's going to take?" I asked no one in particular as I wiped at my eyes and Embry was the one that answered.

"I don't know, Rory," he said quietly as he gave my shoulders another squeeze. Bella's old truck pulled up then and I sighed when I saw her climb out. I really wished she hadn't come, but I knew she was worried about him and I really couldn't have faulted her for worrying about her friend.

"Hey," she said as she raced over to us only to be cut off by another blood curdling scream from inside. Bella stopped short at the sound and I took a deep breath through my nose as I closed my eyes until the scream finally ended. When I opened my eyes it was easy to see the horrified look on Bella's face and I sighed quietly to myself.

"It's been going on for a while," I heard Quil say from where he stood leaning against the side of the house.

"The doc's had to re-break his bones to set them properly," Embry said quietly from beside me and Bella nodded her head before she looked at me.

"You okay?" she asked and I shook my head.

"Not really," I said honestly, "but I will be once Carlisle's finished and I can go inside to be with Jacob." She bit her lip and nodded before yet another scream echoed outside and I closed my eyes once more. We sat there in silence for several more minutes when Carlisle came out of the house with Sam following close behind. With Embry's help I stood from the ground and turned to look at Carlisle. "Is he okay?" I asked as I took a few steps towards him and Carlisle nodded his head as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"The worst is over," he said with a gentle squeeze. "He'll be all right." Everyone let out relieved sighs and their tense bodies relaxed at Carlisle's words. However, I wouldn't really be satisfied until I saw Jacob with my own eyes. "I gave him some morphine for the pain," he said as he lowered his hand from my shoulder and looked at Billy, "but his body temperature will burn it off soon. I'll come back to set up a drip." Carlisle started to walk way, but Billy's words stopped him.

"Thank you," the man said and much to my surprise he held out his right hand to Carlisle. If Carlisle was surprised, he didn't show it. He just gave Billy a small smile before he shook his hand. Carlisle looked at me once again and nodded his head towards the house.

"Jacob's asking for you, Aurora," he said and without thinking, I hugged Carlisle as tightly as I could and I felt his cold hand rise and rest gently on my back as he hugged me back.

"Thank you, Carlisle. Thank you so much," I whispered, knowing he could hear me perfectly fine, before I pulled back from him and raced into the house without looking at anyone. When I ran to Jacob's open bedroom door, my stomach sank at the sight in front of me and I stopped short. Jacob was lying on his bed, heavily bandaged with his right arm pretty much bound to and resting across his chest. He was soaked with sweat and he was breathing heavily and I swore I even saw him shaking slightly from the pain.

"Jacob," I whispered as tears once again sprang to my eyes and I mentally cursed them and my inability to hold them back.

"Hey," he said gently, his voice shaking just a bit, and I quickly moved to his side, sitting down on my knees beside his bed and once again putting my fingers in his hair. "You look awful," he said with a small smirk and I gave him a teary eyed smile as I shook my head.

"Yeah, well, you don't look so hot right now either, mister," I said as a few more tears rolled down my cheeks and my fingers continued to run through his sweat soaked hair. That was the only place that I felt was a safe place to touch him so I wouldn't hurt him in anyway and I needed to touch him to assure myself that he was really okay.

"I'm always hot," he said, completely serious, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Ha ha," I said dryly and he gave me a small smile. "Good to know your sense of humor is still intact."

"Always," he said and I smiled at him then, my tears finally stopping. His face grew serious then as his tired and still pain filled eyes scanned across my face. "Now that I can finally think a little more clearly; do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" he asked.

"Worried about me?" I asked with a small frown and he sighed quietly.

"I saw what happened up on that mountain. Seth got back on his feet just as you cut your arm," he said, his eyes flickering to my forearm, which I had yet to take care of, before they moved back to my face.

"I'm fine, Jacob," I said quietly. "Like you, I did what I had to do. Don't hold that against me."

"I won't," he said. "If you hadn't done what you did, those leeches would have killed Edward and made quick work of you and Bella before any of us would have been able to get there to help Seth. As much as I hate the guy, you're still alive because of him."

"I think I played a small role in saving myself, don't you think?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and Jacob gave me that trademarked grin of his that warmed my heart whenever I saw it.

"That you did, and I couldn't be prouder of you," he said. "I love you," he said softly and I continued to run my fingers through his hair as a small smile made its way across my lips.

"I love you too, Jacob," I told him for the second time that day and his grin turned into a weak smile as he looked at me. I rose up slightly and once again carefully leaned over him before I kissed his forehead and then his cheek before I rested my head against his. He sighed softly against me and let out a soft frustrated sound. "What's wrong?" I asked as I lifted my head to look at him and he gave me a look.

"I can't hold you right now," he said and I smiled at him, my fingers once again playing with his damp hair.

"You heal fast, and you'll be able to soon," I said and he sighed once again. I continued to smile at the look on his face because Jacob was actually pouting as he looked at me. My big as a house, tough as nails, yet sweet Jacob was pouting like a five year old, and it was one of the cutest things I had ever seen.

"Not soon enough," he said and I chuckled before I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his until a soft throat clearing caused me to pull back. I looked to the door, not the least bit surprised to see Bella standing there, and she looked between Jacob and me.

"Hi," she said quietly, her eyes moving to rest on Jacob, and slowly I pulled my hand from his hair and sat back on my ankles.

"Hey," Jacob said and I looked at him to see him looking at me. By the look in his eyes I knew he wanted me to stay, but I also knew that Bella wanted a few minutes to talk to him; and against my better judgment I was going to give them to her.

"I'm going to get you some water," I said before I stood.

"Rory," he said quietly but I just smiled at him.

"I won't be long," I promised before I leaned down and kissed him softly. I righted myself and started to leave the room. I looked down and gave Bella a tight lipped smile as I walked by her before I made my way into the living room and then into the kitchen where I proceeded to get Jacob's glass of water. Everyone else was still outside, but I knew Billy would be coming in pretty soon because it was getting late. I filled up Jacob's glass before I slowly made my way back towards Jacob room and paused outside the door. I hadn't had any plans to eavesdrop, but I ended up doing that when I heard Jacob's question.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" he asked and as I leaned against the wall I heard Bella shuffle her feet against the wood floor.

"I wanted to see you," she said. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine. You should go home," Jacob said and I heard Bella sigh heavily.

"Why won't you talk to me anymore?" she asked.

"I talk to you, Bella," Jacob said.

"Not like you used to," she said.

"Things are different now," he said, his voice sounding tired, "and they will never be like they used to be."

"I miss you, Jake," she said. I bit my lower lip at the slight desperation in Bella's voice and practically held my breath as I waited to hear what Jacob was going to say in response. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew I was standing outside the door, but he started speaking barely a second after the words left Bella's mouth and I knew what he said was not for my benefit.

"You're my friend, Bella, and I care about you, but like I said things will never be like they used to be between us. I have Rory now. I love her, and I have her to think about now."

"I know, but-," Bella started, but Jacob interrupted her.

"Besides, pretty soon you won't be you anymore," he said with a pause and Bella said nothing. "While I don't like the idea of you becoming something I'm inclined to kill, it's what you want. At least it used to be what you want."

"It still is," Bella said weakly.

"It's your life to do what you want with, and I'm not going to stop you," Jacob said. "Do you really think we can be friends once you turn into one of them?"

"We can try. I don't want to lose you, Jake," she said, the desperation was now clear in her voice and I could only imagine the look that was on her face. I looked down at the glass in my hand as I tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear.

"Bella," he said quietly, "I can't be in your life the way you want me to be."

"Jake," she whispered, but Jacob cut her off once again.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said. "I really am, but Rory was right. You need to let me go."

"I don't know if I can," she said after a beat.

"Try," he said. I heard a quiet sniff and I knew Bella was crying, and for a brief, _very brief_, moment I actually felt bad for Bella. "Maybe we can be friends once you get your bloodlust under control," he said, giving her the olive branch she so desperately wanted because that was just the way Jacob was.

"Okay," she said after several quiet beats. I took a deep breath, pushed myself up off the wall, and went back into the room. Bella was wiping at her face with the sleeves of her long sleeved shirt when I walked inside and she looked at me with red rimmed eyes.

"Is everything okay?" I asked as I looked at her and she gave me a small smile.

"Yeah," she said heavily before she sniffed quietly. "I'll see you at home."

"All right," I said and Bella looked at Jacob.

"Bye Jake," she said. "Feel better."

"Thanks," he said. Bella nodded, walked by me, and out of the room before I made my way over to Jacob. I kneeled back down beside the bed and slid my hand underneath Jacob's head.

"Here," I said quietly and he lifted his head slightly as I brought the glass to his lips. With my help he took a deep drink from the filled glass. When he was finished he sighed quietly and I pulled my hand back from his head before I put the glass on his nightstand. I smiled at him before I raised my right hand to the side of his face and ran my fingers along his cheek and jaw.

"Thank you," I said and his brow furrowed slightly as he looked at me.

"For?" he asked as my fingers lingered along his jaw.

"For letting her down as easily as you did. You could have been a real dick about it, but you weren't," I said and the corners of his lips turned up slightly as he looked at me.

"I meant everything that I said, you know," Jacob said.

"I know you did," I said softly and he gave me a small half smile.

"So, do I get a reward?" he asked and I laughed as I shook my head.

"You are too much, Jacob," I said.

"Maybe, but you love me anyway."

"That I do," I whispered before I leaned forward and kissed him.


	17. Chapter 17

Wow, okay, you guys are awesome. I'm so happy that you all are enjoying this story, and thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with _Twilight_.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

A week later, Jacob and I were finally going on our first _real_ date, meaning we were doing something together that did not involve any other member of the pack, any of the Cullens, Bella, Billy, or even Charlie. The sun was actually out that mid-June late morning and according to the weatherman, it would stay out all day and the temperature was going to get to a staggering eighty degrees. According to Charlie days like that day didn't come around all that often, and I planned to enjoy every second of the beautiful weather with Jacob.

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror above my dresser and fluffed my curly hair, which I had opted to leave down that day. I was in serious need of a trim since the ends were getting a little out of hand, but I had been contemplating cutting my hair to a more manageable length. It was past the middle of my back now and while I may have thought about cutting my hair, I knew there was no way in hell I would cut off more than an inch to trim off the dead ends. I liked my hair long and if the way Jacob had been playing with it all the time was any indication, Jacob liked it long as well. So, any plans to cut my hair would not go past the usual trim.

I had gotten dressed in a pair of light wash jean shorts that were probably a little too short given the length of my legs, but my butt didn't hang out of them or anything. I was thankful for my slight olive complexion because if I were as pale as Bella, or the Cullens, I would likely blind someone with all the white I'd be showing off thanks to my shorts. I had a white lace trimmed tank top on underneath a bright red cap sleeved button up that I had left unbuttoned, and a pair of simple slip on white sneakers completed my outfit. The darks scabs on my left forearm were visible, but I really didn't care because it was the first day since moved to Forks that I could comfortably wear a short sleeved shirt and not feel like I was going to freeze to death.

After putting on a bit of chapstick and mascara, my look for the day was complete and I smiled once more at my reflection before I turned away from the mirror and adjusted my necklace around my neck. Once that I was done, I felt my back pockets to make sure I had my cell phone and the small coin purse that served as my wallet. I knew Jacob and I weren't going anywhere that would require money since we'd planned on a picnic, where I didn't know since Jacob had simply told me that if I took care of the food he'd take care of where because he knew the perfect place, but I wanted to bring some money and my debit card with me just in case.

Satisfied that I had everything I needed I nodded and turned to leave only to stop short when I saw Jacob standing at my open bedroom door. Jacob was grinning as he looked at me from where he was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his dark green t-shirt covered chest. He too was wearing shorts, but his were dark and rested at his knees. I hadn't even heard him come up the stairs let alone knock on the front door. I knew Charlie must have been the one to let him in since Charlie was home and currently getting ready to watch the Mariners' game that started at noon.

"Um, hi," I said as I felt my cheeks warm and he chuckled quietly as he uncrossed his arms and pushed off the doorframe before he slowly walked over to me.

"Hi," he said and I tucked my hair behind my ears.

"How long were you standing there?" I asked him and his grin morphed into a smile before he reached out and gently grasped me by the upper waist before he pulled me close to him. I smiled back at him, unable to stop myself, as I put my hands on his forearms as I looked into his dark eyes.

"Not long," he said. "I came up around the time you started putting that stuff on your eyes." I laughed at that before I shook my head and smiled.

"That stuff is mascara," I said and he grinned as he pulled me even closer to him, so much so that my chest was pressed up against his and my hands moved to rest on his shoulders.

"Whatever and it's not like you really need it," he said quietly before he leaned in and kissed me chastely.

"Did Charlie let you in?" I asked even though I already knew the answer as the fingers of my left hand made their way into his short hair. Bella was already gone for the day, having left shortly after breakfast when Edward arrived to pick her up and I was glad she was gone before Jacob got here.

After her talk with Jacob last week Bella hadn't really talked to me. However, this morning was different. We had an actual conversation that lasted almost a half an hour, and to my surprise Bella had been the one that initiated the conversation when we were doing the dishes after breakfast. She had wanted my opinion on marriage and, in her words, the institution of it all. At first, I didn't know what to say but after thinking about it for a few minutes I gave her my honest opinion on the whole thing.

I had told her that my mom had never married, so, I was raised by a hard working independent woman who dated very little, well, as far as I knew she dated very little. Outside of the creep that she had introduced me to that night I had never even seen her with a guy. I had always thought I never needed to get married to be successful or to even have a family. However, I also told her that over the last month and a half I started to see things a little differently; especially over the last week.

Sam and Emily were finally starting to plan their wedding, which would take place next June and I had been helping slightly in the process. Even though Sam and Emily were brought together by the Quileute 'magic' they were so in love and happy. Sure, it wasn't all sunshine and roses because I had heard them argue a time or two, but they still loved each other at the end of the day. So, I had told Bella that marriage seemed like the most logical next step in a relationship if two people loved each other enough and were ready to make that kind of commitment to each other. She had smiled at me then, the first _real_ smile I think she had ever given me since I met her, before she thanked me and left to head over to the Cullens' house.

However, what I didn't tell her during our conversation was that watching Sam and Emily plan everything together and talking to Emily about what colors she wanted to use and what kind of cake she wanted made me both anxious and excited for the day that Jacob and I would be in their place. When that thought first struck me the other day I had thought I was insane because I was less than a month away from turning seventeen and I was already thinking about marrying Jacob. Hell, we'd only known each other for a very short period of time and yet I was already in love with him, which wasn't exactly normal. However, our relationship wasn't really normal either and the two of us getting married someday was pretty much one hundred percent guaranteed.

"Mhmm," he hummed before he leaned in a kissed me once again, drawing me from my thoughts and making me melt against him as my hand slid further up into his hair. He pulled away far too soon and I actually whimpered quietly, which made him chuckle. I opened my eyes then and mocked glare at him while he grinned. "Are you ready to go?" he asked as his warm hands slid down my back and I nodded. My hands fell away from his shoulders and he let go of me after he gently squeezed my hips before he took hold of my left hand with his right.

"Yeah, the basket's in the kitchen," I said lightly before the two of us left my room and headed downstairs. "I didn't make anything too heavy, just some sandwiches and a fruit salad, but I also packed some chips and a couple of bottles of water, and a I snagged a few of those cookies Sue sent home with Charlie the other day," I added in a whisper when we reached the bottom of the stairs and Jacob grinned as he looked at me.

"It all sounds great, Rory," he said before we went into the kitchen.

"Hey you two," Charlie said from where he stood at the counter fixing his own sandwich to eat during the game.

"Hey Charlie," Jacob and I chorused, which earned us a grin from the older man before he shook his head. Jacob let go of my hand before he moved over to where I had left the heavy basket on the table in the kitchen and he picked it up with ease in his left hand.

"I should be home around six or seven, Charlie," I said and he looked at me once more while Jacob walked over to me and took my hand, lacing his fingers with mine and rubbing his hand over the back of my hand. Charlie hesitated for a second before he nodded his head.

"All right," he said. "Have fun." I frowned slightly as I tilted my head to the side while Charlie turned around to resume fixing his sandwich.

"Jacob, would you mind meeting me outside?" I asked in a whisper as I looked at him and he frowned. "I need to talk to Charlie for a minute," I explained, my voice still in a soft whisper that I knew only Jacob would be able to hear. He glanced at Charlie before he looked back at me and nodded his head. As he let go of my hand he kissed my forehead, and left me alone with Charlie. I tucked my hands into the front pockets of my shorts and walked over to him. "Is everything okay, Charlie?" I asked him and I must have startled him because he jumped slightly before he turned to look at me. I smiled at him before I laughed and pulled my right hand out of the pocket of my shorts to cover my mouth. "Sorry," I said as I lowered my hand. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's all right," he said with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips before he nodded, "and yeah, Aurora, everything's fine."

"You sure?" I asked and he sighed before he shook his head and turned around completely to rest his backside against the counter so he was facing me completely.

"Jacob and you seem really . . . close," he said after a beat and I blinked slowly at him before he awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away from me.

"Yeah, I guess we are," I said as I pulled my left hand out of my pocket and nodded, tucking my hair behind my ears once more as Charlie slowly returned his eyes to my face.

"I just want . . . I know you two haven't been dating very long, but relationships can move kind of fast when you're your age," Charlie said and I frowned slightly, unsure about just where Charlie was going with his present topic of conversation. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't trust you, Aurora, or anything but you're both young and . . . and sometimes . . . I just want to make sure that if you two get any _closer_ that you're . . . protected."

"I'm not sure I . . .," I trailed off as Charlie's words sank in and I was pretty sure my eyebrows disappeared into my hair they went up so high. "Oh!" I said rather loudly as I took a half a step back. May face burned as I remembered that night in Jacob's bedroom, but other than that one night and several _heavy _make out sessions Jacob and I had gone no further than that. Obviously, Charlie was completely uncomfortable with the topic and I really couldn't blame him since I wasn't exactly comfortable either. If it was this awkward between Charlie and me, I couldn't imagine how awkward it would be or had been between Bella and Charlie. "Jacob and I aren't having sex, Charlie," I said and a look of relief came over his face as his shoulders sagged slightly and he let out a sigh as his face tinted pink.

"No?" he asked and I shook my head negatively.

"No, and just so you know I'm still a virgin," I said, just for good measure, and he nodded stiffly. I bit back a smile as his face darkened to a color that was nearly identical to my over shirt. I really wasn't sure how much longer that that sentence would be true, but it would likely be at least a little while longer. "So, good talk?" I asked and he once again nodded stiffly.

"Yeah, good talk," he said and I smiled at him then before I walked over to him and hugged him.

"Thanks Charlie," I said as I pulled back and he looked at me curiously.

"For what?" he asked, sounding confused, and I continued to smile at him.

"For caring enough to ask," I said and he smiled at me then, his face still flushed.

"I thought you knew that you're already like a second daughter to me, Aurora," he said, honesty shining in his dark eyes that were almost identical to Bella's. I hadn't meant for the awkward conversation to take such a sharp left turn down sentimental drive, but that's where we'd gone and having Charlie actually say the words to me warmed my heart as much as hearing Jacob tell me he loved me did.

"I know," I said quietly, "and I'm not sure if this will mean much to you or anything, but you've kind of become the dad I've never had." Charlie righted himself from leaning against the counter before he suddenly wrapped me up in his arms in a tight hug that could rival Jacob's.

"That means more than you know, Aurora, it really does," he said quietly and I hugged him back. I heard him sniff quietly before he pulled back, his hands resting on my upper arms before he gently squeezed my arms before he playfully pushed me away. "You should get going. Jacob's waiting." I smiled at him and nodded my head before I turned on the balls of my feet and jogged from the kitchen to the front door.

Once I was outside I saw Jacob standing beside, of all things, his motorcycle and he had the picnic basket strapped secured down to the back of the bike. I laughed and shook my head as I walked down the stairs and down the walkway. He had my helmet in his hands and he grinned as I closed the distance between us.

"I know you got a new battery for your car a while ago, Jacob, what's with the bike?" I asked as I came to a stop in front of him.

"You know you like the bike, Rory," he said as he reached up and put the helmet on my head, "and it's too nice of a day to the car."

"Yeah, yeah," I said dryly as I raised my hands and fastened the strap under my chin while Jacob climbed onto his bike and pushed up the kickstand.

"So, what did you and Charlie talk about?" he asked as I climbed onto the back of the bike and wrapped my arms around his waist. I grinned as he started the bike before I rested my chin on his left shoulder.

"Sex," I said simply and the bike jerked forward before Jacob put his feet down on the ground to keep the bike from tipping over. I gasped as I tightened my hold around Jacob and lifted my head just as he looked over his left shoulder.

"What?" he asked and I laughed as I adjusted my grip around his waist before I made sure the basket was still secure and returned my eyes to his.

"He wanted to make sure that when we got _closer_ we were _protected_," I said using Charlie's words and I watched as Jacob's cheeks turned pink before the color made its way down his neck. I'd seen him blush lightly before but I had never seen his face turn as ruddy as it was at that very moment.

"Oh," he said before he looked away from me and I chuckled before I leaned forward and kissed his cheek, which only intensified the color that was on his face and along his neck.

"Love you," I whispered in his ear and I saw the corners of his lips turned up slightly before he looked over his shoulder once more.

"Love you too," he said back before he picked up his feet and we were driving down the road, heading west towards La Push.

* * *

"Can you hike a little ways in those?" Jacob asked after he parked his bike on the side of the road seemingly in the middle of nowhere. However, most places around Forks and La Push looked like it was in the middle of nowhere. I glanced at him, pausing in unfastening the basket from the back of the bike. I had expected to see him looking at my tennis shoes, but he wasn't. His eyes were lingering on my legs and I smiled to myself before I looked back at the basket, undoing the last fastener before I nodded.

"Yeah," I said as I picked up the basket and turned so I was looking at him, "but if I have a hard time, I sure you can lend a hand, right?" I asked as his eyes quickly snapped up to my face and the pink returned to his cheeks.

"Sure," he said as he covered his embarrassment but grinning at me before he held out his hand to me. I put my hand in his, but he rolled his eyes as he chuckled. "The basket, Rory," he said as he held out his other hand to me. I smiled at him before I gave him the basket and the two of us started to walk into the trees.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as we walked through the trees. There was a slight incline to the ground we were walking on and my curiosity was only peaked.

"You'll see soon enough. We're almost there," he said, his eyes still ahead. We walked in silence for the rest of the way, and he wasn't lying. It was barely five minutes later when we broke through the trees and the gasp that escaped my lips was involuntary.

"Wow," I said quietly as I let go of Jacob's hand and took a few steps forward, the warm breeze that was coming off the water ruffling my hair and my unbuttoned over shirt. We were on top of what had to be one of the high cliffs along the coastline there was long grass around us and rocks blocking the edge like a natural guardrail and it was truly sight to behold. I heard a familiar sound and I moved a little closer to the edge, but not too close. Just close enough for me to see along the shore to the left of me and I saw a group of sea lions laying along the shore. "Jacob, this place is . . . it's amazing," I said as I turned around to look at him and I was surprised to see that he was still standing near the trees. He smiled at me then before he slowly started to make his way towards me.

"This is where I used to come when I just wanted to get away from everything and everyone before . . . before I found you," he said as he sat the basket down on a particularly flat rock that wasn't close to the edge and was just to my right. "No one knows about this place. Well, the guys and Leah know about it, of course, but they don't come here because this is my place."

"Then, if this is where you go to get away from everyone, why am I here with you now?" I asked, my heart hammering away again as I looked into his dark eyes.

"Because I don't want this place to just be mine anymore," he said quietly, his hands rising slightly to rest on my hips before he pulled me towards him, my hands instantly rising to rest on his chest. "I want it to be ours."

"Jacob," I whispered, "do you really want that? What if I start to get on your nerves or something and you want to get away from me? I'll know where to find you," I teasingly said, trying to keep the tears that had lined my eyes at bay. Jacob laughed then before he wrapped his arms around me and my hands slid up his chest to rest on his shoulders.

"You'll never get on my nerves, Rory," he said and I smiled.

"You say that now," I said. "We've only been together for a month. See if you're saying that in fifty or sixty years."

"I will," he said, and I shook my head.

"No you won't," I said.

"Yeah, I will," he said again before he smiled at me and his left hand moved from my hip and cupped the right side of my face in his warm palm. "I might get agitated with you every now and again, but never to the point that I'll want to get away from you, Aurora. Never that." He pushed my hair from my face and I had nothing to say to that. I simply looked up at him, wondering what in the world I could have possibly done that allowed a guy like Jacob to be my soul mate. I had no clue, but I wasn't about to argue with fate.

"Okay," was all I could say and he smiled at me before he kissed me softly. However, my growling stomach chose then to make its presence known and Jacob pulled back from me chuckling as he lowered his hand from my face.

"Hungry?" he asked and I bit my lower lip before I nodded.

"Just a little bit," I said. "I was so excited for today I didn't eat much at breakfast," I admitted and his smile grew.

"All right," he said. "Let's eat."

* * *

I had been to many beautiful places in my short lifetime. Thanks to Mom's job I'd gotten to travel with her to London, Paris, Rome, Hawaii, and a variety of other places when I wasn't in school. However, all of them paled in comparison to the beauty of where I sat with Jacob and the feeling of home that surrounded me as I sat with my back resting against one of the rocks with Jacob lying down beside me and his head resting in my lap. We'd eaten and spent the last few hours just talking and getting to know each other even more than we already did after playing two rounds of twenty questions. We had settled into a comfortable silence now.

I looked down at him as I nibbled on the last chocolate chip cookie that had been in the basket and smiled when I saw that his eyes were closed. His fingers were interlocked and resting on his abdomen, and I had never seen him more relaxed before. Granted, he hadn't really been able to relax because of all the vampire drama that had gone since I met him, but I found that I preferred this relaxed Jacob over the tense and on edge Jacob that I had become accustomed to.

"I love it here," I said quietly as I continued to look at him and he opened his eyes to look up at me.

"You do?" he asked and I nodded as I bit off a piece of cookie.

"Yeah," I said as I moved the piece of cookie to the side so I could talk, "and I love the way being out here relaxes you." He smiled at me then and moved so he was no longer lying on my lap. Instead, he was propped up on his right elbow, which was resting right beside my right thigh and his face was even with mine as his gaze turned intense as he looked at me.

"I think me being relaxed has more to do with the company than the location," he said softly and I made quick work of the bite of cookie I had taken. I leaned forward and kissed him after I swallowed the cookie.

"You flatter me way too much, Jacob Black," I whispered when I pulled back and he grinned. "You're going to give me a big head," I said as I took another bite of my cookie and he shook his head as he laid back down and got comfortable all over again.

"I don't think that's possible," he said with a sigh before he closed his eyes.

"What makes you say that?" I asked and he interlocked his fingers once more and rested them on his stomach.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just something I know."

"Ah, so it's another one of those 'Jacob Black Certainties,' huh?" I asked and he opened his right eye to look at me as he gave me a half smile.

"You know it," he said and I laughed as I started running the fingers of my left hand through his hair. He closed his eye again with a contented sigh and I finished off my cookie as I looked out at the horizon, a small smile settling on my lips.

* * *

"You are aware that August 13 is _less_ than two months away, right?" I asked Bella who was pacing back and forth at the foot of my bed later that night. She'd just dropped the bomb on me that she was going to marry Edward on August 13, and she had come to me to see if I could help her come up with the easiest way for her and Edward to tell Charlie. Exactly _why _she came to me in search of that advice I hadn't the slightest clue, and while I knew Edward had asked her to marry him I didn't think that they'd be getting married so soon.

"I know, but I don't want to be any older than Edward than I already am," she said and I blinked at her.

"Bella, he's like a _hundred_ years older than you. You'll never be older than Edward," I said and she sighed quietly as she came to a stop and turned to look at me.

"Chronologically, no, but physically Edward is only seventeen," she said and I laughed quietly and shook my head as she started pacing again.

"Okay," I said quietly before I drew my knees up and wrapped my arms around my shins as I watched her pace. "Well, the only advice I can give you is to just tell him," I said with a shrug and Bella stopped pacing to look at me. "Nothing complicated or drawn out; just sit him down and say 'Dad, Edward and I are getting married.'"

"You think?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "However, if I were you, I'd do it when he's not armed and as far away from his holster, or any gun, as possible because I bet you good money he's going to think you're pregnant." Bella blushed about as brightly as Charlie had earlier that day during our whole sex talk.

"I'm not," she said quickly and I chuckled before I once again nodded.

"I know, but what else is he going to think?" I asked. "These days that's usually the _only _reason why people our age get married."

"I'm marrying Edward because I love him and I want to be with him forever," she said.

"Literally," I added and she sighed quietly before she looked down at her hands and played with the ring Edward had given her. The ring itself was unique, not something I had seen before, and I could tell that it was old. Just how old, I wasn't sure but I had a feeling it had great meaning to Edward. He seemed like the kind of guy that would pass on a ring that had once belonged to his mother or grandmother to the woman he intended to marry, so, I really wouldn't be all that surprised if it had belonged to his real mother.

"How's Jake?" Bella asked suddenly as she looked up from her hands and at me.

"He's good," I said, answering her question honestly.

"Edward said he hasn't been coming at night anymore," she said and I mentally sighed as I lowered my legs and swung them over the side of my bed.

"He doesn't want things to be awkward for you, knowing that he's a wall away after the conversation you guys had last week," I said and she nodded.

"Do you think he'll come to the wedding if I invite him?" she asked, sounding far too hopeful for my liking and I actually let out my sigh that time as I stood and tugged at the hem of my t-shirt.

"I'll be there, so, he'll likely come as my date," I said and Bella looked back down at her hands. "Look, Bella-," I started but didn't get to finish because she cut me off.

"I'm trying to let him go," she said as she looked at me once again. "It's just . . . hard. I know he doesn't feel the same way that he used to about me, and that's fine but he's really important to me, Aurora. I feel like if I let go, I'll lose him completely." I was tired from my day out in the sun and all the fun I had had with Jacob that I really didn't want to deal with this right now, but I really had no choice.

"I understand, Bella, I really do," I said as walked around to stand at the foot of my bed and leaned back against my footboard, "but you'll never lose him. He'll always be your friend and someday . . . someday he'll be family." She nodded stiffly then and I sighed quietly. I did not want our conversation to end on a sour note, so, I took a deep breath and tucked my hair behind my ears. "So, how are you and Edward going to pull a wedding together in less than eight week?" I asked and she scoffed a quiet laugh as she looked at me.

"I gave Alice total control," she said and I smiled. If there was anyone that could put together a grand wedding on such short notice, it was Alice. "I should go to my room. Edward will be here soon."

"Okay," I said. "Good night."

"Night," she said before she left my bedroom, closing the door behind her. I shook my head before I moved over to my dresser and grabbed my cell phone. I scrolled down my contacts list, found the name I was looking for, and hit 'call.' I don't think it even rang once before his voice rang through my ear.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked and I smiled at the slight panic in his voice before I rolled my eyes at him for always assuming the worst.

"Nothing," I said as I shook my head. "I was just wondering if you could come over."

"Why?" he asked, sounding curious now instead of panicked.

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight," I admitted quietly before I bit my lower lip and I heard him take in a slow breath in before he let it out.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."


	18. Chapter 18

**PLEASE READ: **Okay, first, I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. This weekend was my anniversary and the boyfriend bit a big bullet for me and took me to see the final Twilight movie. He told me that he actually liked it, which surprised me since he usually playfully makes fun of me for liking the series. Anyway, thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. This chapter is over nine thousand words and will hopefully tied you over until around Saturday when the next chapter will likely be up. I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my boyfriend's parents, his sister and her family (who are all coming up from Texas tormorrow), as well as my sister and her fiancee. So, I'm a little stressed right now but I wanted to post this ASAP. Thank you all for your reviews and adds. I tried to respond to all the signed reviews, but if I missed you, I'm sorry and thank you for reading and reviewing. As a warning, the end of this chapter is a mild lemon. I hope you all like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

The weeks slowly ticked by and when the morning of my seventeenth birthday dawned I was woken up by feather soft kisses being peppered along my jaw before they made their way down my neck and up again. I took a slow deep breath through my nose as I opened my eyes just as Jacob lifted his head and smiled down at me. I couldn't help but smile back as I raised my hands to his face before I brushed my lips against his in a soft chaste kiss.

"Good morning," I whispered as I laid my head back down and moved my hands to rest on his shoulders. I was slightly surprised to see him since he hadn't spent the night with me because Sam had him on patrol overnight, but I really shouldn't have been. After all, I had left the window open for him in case he was able to sneak away for a little while like he managed to do sometimes. He probably got an earful from Sam when he did it, but it obviously didn't stop him since he continued to do it.

"Happy birthday," he said back just as quietly before he leaned down and kissed me firmly, his hands resting on either side of my head to support his weight above me. I moaned softly as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened. I really didn't care that I probably had morning breath because Jacob didn't seem to mind sine he was eagerly returning my kiss with as much vigor as I was giving. My right hand slipped up into his hair, pulling slightly as the nails of my left hand scraped along his upper back. He growled softly into the kiss before he practically tore his lips from mine.

"That's one way to start a birthday," I said softly as he pressed his forehead to mine. He was breathing heavily, practically panting, and I was slightly concerned because normally I was the one left panting at the end of one of our kisses. "Are you okay?" I asked my right hand sliding out of his hair to rest on the left side of his face.

"Not really," he said, but he was smiling as he lifted his head from mine and I raised an eyebrow.

"No?" I asked and he shook his head as he rolled his hips into mine and I _felt_ why he wasn't okay through our clothes and the blankets that separated our bodies. "Oh," I said softly and he chuckled before he leaned in to me and kissed me chastely. I attempted to deepen the kiss, but Jacob pulled back before I could. "Jacob," I whined as my hands slid to rest on his shoulders and he smiled at me. "It's my birthday; you're supposed to be nice to me." I pouted slightly and he laughed softly once more as he shook his head.

"Sorry, baby, but I told Paul I'd only be gone fifteen minutes so I could sneak in here and be the first one to wish you a happy birthday. I need to start heading back or I'll never hear the end of it," he said and I sighed as I slid my hands from his shoulders to rest on his chest. "I'll make it up to you later."

Jacob and I still hadn't had sex yet, and that wasn't without any attempt to change that on my part. Apparently, Jacob had _a lot_ of self-control and he always tenderly shut me down. Every time he turned me down, he told me that he wanted the moment to be special, not rushed, and not in the cramped back seat of his rabbit, which was the last place I had attempted to have my wicked way with him. If Jacob was any other guy, my self-esteem would have taken a hit or two, but I knew he was right. My hormones just seemed to get the better of me whenever I was alone with Jacob for more than five minutes lately, and a part of me was thankful that Jacob had as much self-control as he did.

"Promise?" I asked and he nodded his head before he kissed my nose.

"Promise," he said softly before he kissed me softly and then pulled back. "I have to go," he whispered but I slid my hands back up to his face and pulled his lips down to mine once more. He didn't fight me. Instead he allowed me a few more minutes to have my way with him before he slowly pulled away. "Later," he whispered and I sighed as I nodded my head

"Okay," I said softly as I looked up at him. "Later."

"I love you," he said and I smiled.

"I love you too," I said back and he kissed me chastely one last time before he climbed off the bed. I sat up and watched him walk over to the window, which he had left open when he came into the room. I could only imagined what I looked like right then, my hair loose and falling out of the ponytail I had pulled it into and sticking up all over the place, my face was slightly puffy from sleep, and my eyes were heavy lidded from not only sleep but my recent activities with Jacob. However, Jacob had seen me first thing in the morning more times than I could count, so, I wasn't really all that worried about how disheveled I looked just then. He looked at me as he got ready to climb out the window and I gave him a small smile before I waved my hand at him to say goodbye, however, he didn't leave like I had expected him to.

"Damn it," he whispered before he walked back over to me and took my face into his hands before he kissed me roughly. I raised my hands to wrap around his wrists as he kissed me with such hunger that it surprised me and the lightheadedness that often followed Jacob's kisses soon came over me. However, he pulled away before it could overwhelm me and I was only left breathless as I looked up at him. "Even with bed head you're beautiful," he said softly and I laughed, which made him smile.

"Thanks, I think," I said and he chuckled before he kissed me once more, lingering longer than I think he intended to. However, I was definitely not going to complain.

"I've got to go," he said against my mouth and I laughed once again before he forced himself away from me. "I'll see you later," he said when he was over by the window and I nodded my head as I watched him disappear out of the window. I smiled to myself before I flopped back against my pillows and smiled up at the ceiling. My birthday started off great, and I hoped it would only get better from there.

* * *

I'd gone back to sleep for a little while, waking up when my alarm clock went off at eight. Soon, I was showered and dressed for the day, and as I made my way downstairs I could hear that Charlie and Bella were already in the kitchen. However, when I walked into the kitchen I saw that they were not alone. Alice, Jasper, and Edward were with them and to say I was surprised to see them there was a little bit of an understatement.

"Uh, good morning," I said as I walked further into the room. Alice was quick to shoot me a bright smile before crossed the room and hugged me as tightly as she could without hurting me and I smiled as I hugged her back.

"Happy birthday, Aurora!" she said happily before she stepped back. "Since you'll be spending most of the day with Jacob, we'd thought we'd come by to with you a happy birthday, and give you your gifts." Before I could say anything in response Alice produced a small black velvet box seemingly out of nowhere and on the box was a small pale yellow and white ribbon that made me smile since the soft color was my favorite. "This is from Jasper and me," she said and I blinked at her before I took it from her.

"Thank you," I said as I looked at her and then turned my eyes to Jasper. The blonde vampire gave me one of his crooked grins.

"Open it. I know you'll love it," Alice said and I smiled at her before I shook my head. I looked down at the box and slowly opened it. When I saw what rested inside my smile grew. Inside the box rested a white gold crescent moon charm with a deep dark red stone in the center. I knew the stone wasn't a ruby since it was darker than the ruby that was on the charm that Mom gave me, and I looked at Alice. "It's a garnet," she whispered and I blinked at her before my smile slowly returned. Garnet was Jacob's birthstone. "I thought it fitting, right?" she asked with a smile. "It goes perfectly with the charm you're always wearing."

"Thank you," I said sincerely and her smile grew before I hugged her tightly. "I do love it." I picked up the charm before I handed her the box before I took off my necklace and carefully slipped the new charm on the chain. I put my necklace back on and fingered the charms to straighten them before I smiled. "What do you think?" I asked and Alice continued to smile at me.

"Perfect," she said before she practically danced over to Jasper and laced her right arm with her left. "Don't you think, Jasper?" she asked him and Jasper inclined his head.

"It suits you well, Aurora," he said and I smiled at him.

"Thank you, Jasper," I said. I would have hugged him like I hugged Alice to thank him, but I knew that that would have made Jasper incredibly uncomfortable.

"You're welcome," he said and Edward was next to walk over to me, gift bag in hand.

"From Bella and me," he said with a warm smile and I shook my head as I took the bag from him.

"You know, I really wasn't expecting anything for my birthday," I said with a small smile. "A 'happy birthday' would have sufficed. I'm pretty easy to please."

"Happy birthday," Edward said quietly with a wink before he moved to stand beside Bella. I smiled at her as she tucked herself into Edward's side and Bella returned my smile with ease. Since the night she had talked to me about telling Charlie about her impending wedding, Bella and I had started getting along a little better. We weren't best friends or anything, but we were in a good place. Plus, I was pretty sure that Bella had finally let her more than friendly feelings for Jacob go because now she could be in the same room with him without a longing filled look on her face.

"Thank you," I said before I pushed back the white tissue paper and reached inside only to pull out a pair of soft leather jazz shoes. There was still something else in the bag, so, I pushed the paper aside and saw a pair of leather soled slipper shoes as well as a pair of toe slippers. For a moment I just looked at them before I looked at Edward and Bella in surprise.

"We saw you practicing last week and your shoes looked a little worn," Edward said gently. I tucked the jazz shoes back into the bag before I walked across the kitchen. Bella pulled back from Edward and I hugged her first before I moved on to Edward.

"Thank you," I said once more as I pulled back from him and smiled at him before I looked at Bella.

"You're welcome," Bella said as she moved back to Edward's side and I smiled before I shook the bag slightly.

"I'll get some good use out of these believe me," I said happily and Edward chuckled. I moved over to the table and sat down across from Charlie who was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. I smiled at Charlie and he smiled back at me as Bella, Edward, and Alice joined us at sitting at the table while Jasper lingered behind Alice.

"Our parents also got you something," Alice said with a smile as I looked at her, "but you'll have to wait a little bit to get it."

"I got you a gift too, Aurora, it's just not here at the moment," Charlie said and I shook my head.

"I meant what I said, you guys," I said as I looked between all of them. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"It's your seventeenth birthday, Aurora," Charlie said and my eyes settled with his. "We're not going to let the day just pass by." I smiled at him and he smiled back at me before all of us, minus Jasper since he was more of the observant type, started talking about all of our plans for the day.

Bella was going to be going with Edward and Alice to Port Angeles for cake tasting, and even though I didn't understand just why Alice was having them go cake tasting since she already knew what Bella would pick I nodded my head and urged her to get anything chocolate, which made everyone chuckle. Charlie's laugh was more forced and scoff like than an actual laugh since he wasn't one hundred percent happy with Bella's choice to marry Edward so soon. However, when she told him he surprised both Bella and I by saying that if that was what she wanted then he'd support her decision.

He had even contributed a little to the wedding even though Carlisle and Esme had said they would gladly pay for everything. Charlie insisted though and wrote Carlisle and Esme a check. He may have been a man of very few words, but Charlie loved Bella with all his heart and I knew that with Bella getting married he likely felt like he was losing his daughter; and in a way he would be.

"We should have a slumber party tonight," Alice said suddenly and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "to celebrate your birthday. It'll be fun."

"I don't know," Charlie said as he glanced at Edward and then looked at Alice who let out her bell like laugh before she put a soft hand on Charlie's forearm.

"Don't worry, Charlie," she said, "our parents will be there. We won't get into too much trouble." Charlie sighed and looked down at his coffee before he nodded his head.

"All right," he said dryly and Alice pulled her hand back with a beaming smile once again on her face.

"I'll be at Jacob's for a while today," I said, finally telling them my plans even though they all knew already since that was the only place I ever really went. "What time should I have him bring me over?"

"How about seven? That should give us plenty of time to get back from Port Angeles and stop for snacks," Alice said with a grin and I laughed lightly before I nodded. The comment about snacks was purely for Charlie, but knowing Alice she really would buy a whole bunch of junk food for Bella and me. Jacob wouldn't like the fact that I'd be spending the night with the Cullens, and I had a feeling he'd be calling me every fifteen minutes to make sure I was okay.

* * *

"Thanks for giving me a ride, Charlie," I said as I rode in the front seat of the cruiser. Jacob had called around the time he was supposed to come and pick me up asking if Charlie could give me a ride to his place because Billy wasn't feeling all that well and was slow moving that morning. I had told Jacob that we could hang out tomorrow since Billy wasn't feeling well, but he said that Billy wanted to see me and give me the present he had gotten me. So, since Bella had left with Alice, Jasper, and Edward shortly after our conversation that morning Charlie was my only hope and thankfully he had no problem driving me.

"You're welcome, Aurora," he said and I smiled at him.

"I need to get myself a car," I said and he glanced at me. "I can't rely on you and Jacob to cart me around town all the time. Especially now that I've got my Washington license." I could talk to Jacob that day about helping me look for a used car. He knew more about cars than I did, and I was certain that he could help me find a decent car at a reasonable price. After all, I had the money.

When my mom passed away everything she had went to me, and to say that my mom was a saver was a bit of an understatement. On top of my inheritance and college fund that she had started back when I was still in diapers there was the wrongful death settlement with the pickup driver's insurance company and then my mom's life insurance policy. However, I didn't have access to most of the money until I was eighteen. It was all put into a structured trust for me and I would receive so much every year until I turned twenty-one when I would have full access to everything. All I had to do was send an e-mail to the court appointed trustee asking for the money and tell him what it was for to get approval; and he would definitely approve a reasonable amount for a used car.

"Well, I'm sure Bella wouldn't mind passing on her truck since Edward's talking about buying her a new car," Charlie said and I chuckled.

"Unfortunately, I can't drive a stick," I said and a small smile lifted the corners of Charlie's lips before he glanced at me.

"Don't worry, Aurora, Jacob and I can teach you," he said and I smiled at him. It almost looked like he was smirking as he turned away, but with Charlie it was hard to tell because he had such a dry sense of humor that I often didn't catch on when he was joking around.

"All right," I said. "Sounds fair enough." Bella's truck was about as old as dirt, but it was reliable and would serve its purpose in the end.

The rest of the car ride was spent in relative silence, but as always with Charlie it wasn't uncomfortable and I'd spent most of that time contemplating how I was going to tell Jacob that I was spending the night at the Cullens' place. I'd even packed an overnight bag, which was currently settled in between my feet. I chewed on my lower lip as I watched the scenery pass by before Charlie turned down Jacob and Billy's dirt driveway and parked the cruiser beside Billy's truck. To my surprise, Charlie turned off the car and pulled the keys from the ignition before he looked at me.

"Since Jake said that Billy wasn't feeling too well, I'd thought I'd go in with you to say hi and see how's feeling," Charlie said and I smiled at him once more before I nodded.

"Okay," I said lightly before the two of us climbed out of the cruiser, me throwing my bag over my shoulder. Charlie waited for me to walk around the front of the cruiser before the two of us headed for the house side by side. Once we reached the door, I knocked once like I always did before I opened the door and stepped inside with Charlie following behind. "Jacob? Billy?" I called as I stepped through the doorway that led further into the house, but I got no farther than that.

"Surprise!" loud voices chorused all at once. It scared the ever-loving daylights out of me and made me stumble back into Charlie who laughed as he easily caught me by my upper arms and steadied me on my feet. Standing cramped inside Billy and Jacob's house was none other than Sam, Emily, Jared, Kim, Paul, Quil (with little Claire on his hip and a tiara on his head that matched the one Claire was wearing), Embry, Seth, Leah, Collin, Brady, Billy, Sue, and Jacob. I looked at the group with wide eyes and a racing heart and everyone (even Leah) was smiling at me. I started laughing as I shook my head and everyone laughed with me before Jacob walked over to me.

"Happy birthday, Rory," Jacob said for the second time that day and I smiled at him as he took my right hand into his left before he slowly pulled me away from Charlie. I felt my face heat as I walked further into the house and tucked my hair behind my ear with my free hand.

"Surprised?" Billy asked once we reached him and I laughed as I nodded my head.

"I didn't have a clue," I said honestly as I felt Charlie settle up beside me on my left. I looked at him and he was smiling at me as he tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"We were most worried about Jake spoiling it," Charlie said and I laughed once more before Emily was quick to pull me into a warm embrace that I easily returned.

"Happy birthday," she said as she pulled back and I quietly thanked her before Kim quickly followed in Emily's footsteps, mirroring Emily's gesture and greeting before she pulled back and returned to Jared's side.

"I don't know about you guys, but it's starting to feel a little too cramped in here for me," Billy said. "Why don't we head out back where the girls got everything set up," he suggested more than asked and soon everyone started piling out of Billy and Jacob's house. Jacob had laced my fingers with his as we waited for everyone to start filing out, Charlie pushing Billy's chair and Sue walking along behind him, and I looked at him as I took my bag off my shoulder and sat it on the dining table.

"So, Billy being under the weather was a ploy to have Charlie bring me out here; and to think I was worried about him after we talked this morning," I said and he grinned as he looked at me. He looked tired and I knew that was because he had probably only gotten three hours of sleep that morning at the most, and for a moment I felt bad for teasing him.

"Sorry, Rory, but it was the only thing I could think of," he said and I smiled at him as I shook my head.

"No worries," I said. "I'm just giving you a hard time." He chuckled before he leaned down and kissed me softly, raising his free hand to the side of my face as he held me in place.

"Alice and Edward stop by this morning?" he asked dryly as he pulled back, but his hand only moved down to my neck, and I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him. "I can smell them on you," he said as he slightly wrinkled his nose, and I laughed quietly as I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "Jasper was there too. They wanted to give me my presents this morning."

"What they'd get you?" he asked, his thumb running along my jaw.

"Bella and Edward got me a new pair of jazz shoes as well as dance slippers and toe slippers," I said and his thumb paused in its movement as he frowned.

"Toe slippers?" he asked and I laughed at his confused expression.

"For dancing," I said. "I'll show them to you later." He smirked and nodded his head, his thumb once again rubbing along my jaw line in slow motion.

"What did Alice and Jasper get you?" he asked.

"This," I said as I raised my free left hand to my necklace and picked up the crescent moon charm for him to see. He looked at it and then at the star charm that hung around my neck before he returned his eyes to my face.

"The stone's not the same as the one your mom gave you," he said and I let go of my necklace and let it fall back against my chest.

"I know," I said. "The stone on the star is a ruby, which is my birthstone," I explained, a small smile coming to my lips, "but the stone on the crescent moon that Alice and Jasper got me is a garnet. Your birthstone." Jacob grinned at that and shook his head before he chuckled.

"That was actually really thoughtful," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"They may be vampires, but they are good people at the same time, Jacob," I whispered and his smile remained.

"Sure, sure," he said and I laughed lightly.

"They are, which is why you can't pitch a fit when I tell you that I'm going to spend the night at the Cullens' place with Alice and Bella," I said and he continued to smile at me, which was slightly unnerving since I was expecting him to go ballistic on me.

"Okay," he said as he lowered his hand from my neck and I blinked at him in response.

"Okay?" I asked slowly and he nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said and I laughed lightly.

"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" I asked, which made Jacob laugh before he let go of my hand and grabbed hold of me by the upper waist and pulled me even closer to him. My chest was pressed up against his as his brown eyes held my blue, but that wasn't what got my heart racing yet again and my stomach to fill with butterflies as I gasped quietly. What caused that was the fact that Jacob ran both of his thumbs along the undersides of my breasts and I could feel the heat of his touch through the cotton of my t-shirt and the cotton/lace combination of my bra.

I swallowed hard as I looked into his darkened eyes and slid my hands up this t-shirt covered chest only to wrap my arms around his shoulders before he leaned in and closed the short distance between us. That kiss was much like the parting kiss he had given me that morning and my right hand once again laced into the silky dark strands of his hair as Jacob tried to devour me whole. My knees went weak, as usual, and Jacob was quick to warp a strong arm around me to hold me in place. It seemed like we had only just started when a rough throat clearing interrupted my moment of pure bliss with Jacob. Jacob growled softly before he tore his lips from mine and glared at the person that interrupted us while I did my best to catch my breath and not faint.

"You should just be grateful it was me that volunteered to come and find out what was taking you two so long," came Paul's voice. "Charlie was on his way in when I cut him off. I don't think he would have liked to see you doing _that_ to the girl that's as good as his daughter, Jake." I felt my face flame red as I looked over my right shoulder and saw a grinning Paul leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. "You should have heard some of the thoughts running through his head after he left your place this morning, Aurora," he said, which only made me blush a little more and Jacob's arms to tighten around me.

"Shut up, Paul," Jacob sneered and Paul laughed as he pushed himself up off the doorframe.

"Relax, man," Paul said as he held up his hands. "Come on. Sam's putting the burgers on the grill and Emily won't let any of the guys near the table of snacks until Aurora comes out and grabs some. She even whipped out the rolling pin." I laughed at that as I dislodged myself from Jacob's arms and held out my hand to him. He sighed heavily before he took hold of my hand and led me towards the door and a still grinning Paul and I knew then that it was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

Hours of food, stories, and laughter later, we had all gathered together in Jacob and Billy's backyard for me to open the gifts that everyone had gotten me with Sam and Emily being the first to give me their gift to open. It was a garment box, and as I took off the ribbon and opened the box I was not the least bit disappointed when I saw the beautiful blue cable knit sweater that rested inside.

"I know its summer and everything, but you can never have enough sweaters around here," Emily said and I looked at her. She had an uncertain look on her face as she sat beside Sam and I shook my head.

"It's perfect," I said as I pulled the sweater out of the box and held it up. "I was just thinking that I needed to add to my sweater collection since winter was coming, and you guys got me started. Thank you. I love it," I said as I carefully folded it back up and put it back in the box as I looked at them. Emily smiled at me and Sam did the same before he kissed her temple and said something to her that made her smile grow. I figured Sam had assured her that I would like it and she didn't believe him, so, that was his 'I told you so' moment.

"It matches your eyes," Jacob whispered in my right ear as I put the lid back on the box and I turned my head to look at him, my smile unwavering.

"They're not that blue," I said and he shook his head as he grinned.

"They are when you're happy; like right now," he said and I felt my cheeks warm yet again before I held up the box to him.

"Would you hold this for me?" I asked and he nodded before he took the box in his hands and settled it on his lap. Kim was suddenly walking over to me, a smile on her face and prettily wrapped gift in hand.

"From Jared and me," she said quietly and I smiled at her as I took it before she scampered back over to Jared and sat back down beside him, her cheeks pink. Kim and I were friends, so, she had no need to be embarrassed, but she was shy and hated to have a lot of eyes on her at once. I started opening the small box and smiled when I saw that it was a new manicure set. I had offhandedly mentioned a week ago that I needed to get a new set, and apparently Kim had been listening because I knew Jared wouldn't think to get me anything like this.

"Thanks you guys," I said, my smile still in place as I looked at them and held it up. "I so needed a new one."

"You're welcome," Kim said and Jared smiled at me before he winked. I laughed and balled up the paper before I kept it in my lap and looked at Jacob. He grinned and gestured with his eyes for me to put the small box on top of the one already resting in his lap and I had no problem doing just that.

"The rest of us guys and Leah weren't really sure what to get you, so, we all took turns working on it and made you this, Aurora," Embry said as he walked over to me and held out a small package wrapped in old newspaper. I smiled at him as I took it from him and looked at the guys only to chuckle when I saw Quil holding a napping Claire, but the tiara she had ordered him to wear all day still on his head.

"Thank you," I said before I turned my eyes to my present and tore at the newspaper. "Wow," I said softly as I lifted the well-made dreamcatcher. "Thank you guys," I said again as I looked it over. "It's beautiful," I finished as I looked at the rest of the guys with a smile on my face. They all smiled back at me, and Collin even blushed as he looked at me before he quickly averted his eyes. That made me raise an eyebrow before I looked at Jacob who shook his head as he shot a glare at the younger boy and returned his eyes to me.

"Don't ask," he said quietly as he took the dreamcatcher from me and put it with my other presents he was holding. I laughed and nodded my head, figuring that I really probably didn't want to know what the thirteen year old was thinking. Billy's gift was next and it was a lovely wood jewelry box that he had actually made for me, but that wasn't all the man had given me.

"Look inside," Billy said with a smile. I chuckled before I opened the box and like so many times that day I stared at what rested inside on the velvet lining of the jewelry box. It was a silver charm that was, of all things, a small wolf's head. It was the same size as the star pendant my mom gave me and the crescent moon that Jasper and Alice had given me that morning, and I looked at Billy with a small smile.

"Thank you," I said for what felt like the millionth time that day and he smiled at me as he nodded his head. Just like I did that morning, I quickly picked up the charm and put it on my necklace before I toyed with the three charms that now rested there with a bright smile on my face.

"Sue and I sort of went in on your gift together, Aurora," Charlie said and I turned my eyes to him, "and with a little help from Jacob, it's pretty much as good as new."

"Good as new?" I asked with a frown and Charlie smiled as he and Sue stood from the log beside the one I sat on with Jacob.

"Come on," he said as he gestured for me to follow him and setting my jewelry box aside, I quickly did as he asked.

However, I wasn't alone in following Charlie and Sue. Jacob had been quick to join us as we headed towards the garage. I could hear the others talking and laughing as we walked away and I really had no clue why we were going to Jacob's garage but I rolled with the punches. Jacob jogged ahead and opened the garage just as Charlie, Sue, and I neared it. However, I once again stopped short when I saw that Jacob's rabbit wasn't parked inside. Instead, it was an older model Ford of some kind, but I really didn't know the first thing about cars. All I knew was that Charlie and Sue were giving me a car for my birthday.

"It's not a manual, so, you'll have no problems driving it around town," Charlie said from beside me and I looked at him and Sue, tears springing to the corners of my eyes.

"I don't know what to say," I said quietly as I sniffed and Charlie gave me a small smile.

"Thank you will do," he said and I whispered the words before I turned and hugged him tightly. Charlie was quick to return my embrace, even tightening his hold on me a bit as he sighed. "Happy birthday," he whispered and I sniffed quietly as I pulled back from him and smiled before I moved on to Sue.

"Thank you," I said as I hugged her and she laughed lightly as she hugged me back.

"You're welcome, sweetie," she said and I sniffed again as I pulled back from her. I wiped at my eyes and looked between the older couple before a grin settled on my lips.

"So, does this mean you two are finally admitting you're a thing?" I asked and Jacob was unable to hold in his bark of laughter while Sue smiled and Charlie blushed as he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"I guess you can say that," Sue said before she looked at Charlie, who turned his eyes to her and smiled at her as she laced her left arm with his right. My grin turned into a smile as I clapped my hands, drawing their attention back to me.

"This is seriously the best birthday ever," I said before I threw my arms around both of them, making them laugh as they each wrapped their free arms around me. "Have you told Bella yet?" I asked as I pulled away from them and Charlie shook his head.

"Not yet," he said and I laughed quietly.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything," I said happily and Sue smiled as she nodded her head.

"We'll let you check out the car with Jacob. Don't stay too long because we'll be bringing out your cake soon," she said before she pulled Charlie along and the duo rejoined the group that was once again raiding the snack table. I turned around on the balls of my feet before I rushed over to Jacob and leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around me and led me into the garage to show me my new car.

* * *

It was six-thirty and everyone had said good-bye and headed home for the night after cleaning up the mess from the party. Charlie had taken my gifts home from me when he left a little while ago and after I said goodbye to Billy, Jacob walked me outside. A small part of me was disappointed despite the amazing day I had had because Jacob hadn't gotten me anything for my birthday. It really shouldn't have been that big of a deal since I wasn't expecting anything from anyone in the first place, and I had already gotten so much, but I figured since everyone else had gotten me something that Jacob would have.

"I guess you don't have to give me a ride to Alice's tonight, huh?" I asked as we neared the garage and I tried to make my voice sound light. "I can drive myself."

"You're not going to the Cullens' tonight, Rory," he said as he stopped walking, forcing me to do the same since he was holding my hand, and I sighed as I looked up at him.

"Jacob, you were-," I started, but he silenced me by bringing his free hand to my mouth and covering it.

"Alice is our cover with Charlie," he said before he lowered his hand and I frowned.

"Our cover?" I asked and he nodded.

"The little vamp and I had a talk the other day," he said and my eyebrows rose.

"You and Alice _talked_?" I asked and he nodded. "Were insults involved?" He chuckled at that and rubbed the back of his neck before he shrugged his shoulders.

"There may have been a few," he said and I laughed. "Anyway," he said quickly as he lowered his hand, "Charlie thinks you're spending the night at Alice's with Bella and my dad thinks that I'm running patrol again tonight with Paul."

"But you're not?" I asked slowly and Jacob shook his head.

"I'm not," he said quietly as he shuffled his feet closer to me and once again my heart started racing as I looked into his dark eyes. "We're going to head up to our spot along the cliffs and spend the night out there. I've already got a tent and everything we'll need for tonight. Even your birthday gift," he added with a grin and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Really?" I asked softly, my heart rate increasing and butterflies filling my stomach once again, and he nodded as he raised his free right hand to my waist and pulled me even closer to him.

"Yeah," he whispered before he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "Let's go," he said before he started pulling me towards the trees and I laughed softly as I followed after him, stumbling slightly as I did so. "Wait here," he said before he disappeared and barely a minute later wolf Jacob came into view. I smiled at him before I swung my overnight bag over my shoulder and climbed onto his back, and in a flash Jacob was running through the trees.

* * *

When we arrived at our spot, true to his word Jacob had a tent set up as well as what looked like a portable fire pit resting in front of it. He really had thought of everything and I laughed quietly as I slid off his back before wolf Jacob jogged into the woods and came out again as my Jacob, dressed only in his jeans a minute later.

"Did you leave your shoes and your shirt behind?" I asked and he chuckled as he nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said before he took my hand and led me over towards the tent. The sun had been out for a little while, peaking through the clouds that had thinned out throughout the afternoon, and it was close to setting over the ocean in front of us. Jacob took my bag from me and let go of my hand before he unzipped the tent and went inside. I shivered a bit as the breeze was a bit more pronounced up there, but I smiled knowing that Jacob would be back in a second to keep me warm; and sure enough he emerged from the tent with a piece of white cloth in his hand.

"What's that?" I asked as he started walking towards me and he smiled.

"Your gift," he said before he held it out to me. I smiled at him in return before I took it from him and carefully opened up the cloth. Inside was a hand-woven bracelet of various colors with a few small beads and tiny knots within it. I looked up at him and he was still smiling as he picked up the bracelet and grabbed my left hand before he started fastening the bracelet around my wrist. "Each knot, bead, and color represents various promises that I vow to keep to you, Aurora," he said softly and I watched his face as he focused on the task of securing the bracelet on my wrist and for the second time that day tears lined my eyes as he turned the bracelet, smiled softly, and raised his brown eyes to my blue. "It's my tribe's version of you pale face's promise ring," he said in a gentle teasing tone that made me laugh quietly despite my tears. I looked at the bracelet and smiled before I sniffed softly and returned my eyes to his.

"I like it better than any promise ring, Jacob. You made this didn't you?" I asked and he nodded, his hold on my hand tightening a bit. "How long did it take you?" I asked and he pulled me close to him, wrapping me up in his arms. I raised my left hand to rest on his chest while my right settled on the back of his neck.

"I started working on it the day I met you," he said, his eyes never wavering from mine, and my heart swelled at that admission. "I finished it two days ago."

"It's so beautiful, Jacob," I said as I looked at it once more. "I love it, and I'll only take if off when I shower," I said after a quiet beat and turned my eyes back to his, a few tears making their way down my cheeks at the movement. Jacob smiled at me as his left hand left my back and he wiped the wetness of my tears from my cheeks.

"I'm glad," he said softly and with a little urging from me, he leaned into me and kissed me tenderly. However, the longer we stood there kissing the more the kiss began to change and it wasn't long before I found myself lifted from the ground and carried over to the tent.

As Jacob stepped into the tent he had yet to break our kiss and only did so when he laid me down on what felt like several sleeping bags that he had set up on the floor of the tent. I sighed heavily and whispered his name when he pulled away from me, but he wasn't gone for long. He had simply turned to zip up the tent before he returned to me and covered my body with his solid frame once more as his lips hungrily claimed mine.

My entire body felt like it was on fire as I laid there underneath him and kissed him back just as heatedly and desperately as he kissed me. When I felt his hands push up the hem of my t-shirt and his skin came into contact with mine, I couldn't hold back the moan that left me. I could feel him smile into our kiss at the sound before he inched my t-shirt up a little higher and higher until we were forced to break the kiss to pull the lightweight cotton from my body. I leaned up as I helped Jacob take off my t-shirt and met him half way as he started to lean in to kiss me again, my hands grasping on to his face as he kissed. His left arm went around my back and pulled my body flush up against his while his right hand supported him above me and gave him a little bit of leverage before I felt his hand move to the clasp of my bra. Our kiss was broken when I couldn't help but giggle at Jacob's failed attempts of unhooking the clasp of my bra and I smiled up at him.

"Need some help?" I asked quietly and he shook his head negatively as I saw a bit of pink tinged his cheeks.

"No," he growled out before I felt him literally tear the back of my bra in half with one hand. I gasped and he smirked as he started to pull the now torn material from my body before he leaned in and kissed me.

"You owe me a bra," I said against his mouth and he chuckled before he silenced me with another kiss as I shifted my arms a bit so he could my bra from my body.

My heart was hammering away in my chest as Jacob laid me back down on top of the sleeping bags and his left hand took over supporting his weight while his right took my left breast in hand. I gasped again, but that time we were kissing and Jacob took the opportunity to deepen the kiss as his hand gently massaged and pinched at my breast. Slowly, he moved his lips from mine, kissed along my jaw, and then down my neck. I sighed heavily as the fingers of my right hand once again found his hair while his lips ghosted across my collarbone before they began moving even lower. My back arched on its own accord when he took my right breast into his mouth.

"Jacob," I whispered, but he continued his ministrations only letting up when he switched sides and took my left breast in his mouth and started kneading my right with his left hand.

The fire had started earlier was full on raging as Jacob lifted his head from my chest and wrapped both of his arms around my back and lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as I straddled his lap and kissed him hard as my breasts pressed tightly against his chest. Slowly, he pulled his lips from mine and pressed his forehead against mine. Both of us sat there panting, trying to catch our breath; and I was doing my best to calm my rapidly beating heart as I wrapped my head around that this was actually real.

"Is this really happening or am I dreaming again?" I asked quietly and Jacob chuckled before he lifted his head back and looked at me.

"You've dreamt about this?" he asked and I laughed lightly as I ran my fingers throw his hair.

"All the time, and you can't tell me you haven't," I said and he grinned.

"Oh I have," he said and I smiled at him, "and I got to tell you the reality of it sure beats the hell out of dreaming about it." His hands ran up and down my bare back before his right hand twisted into my hair.

"Yeah, it does," I whispered before he kissed me softly and then once again started kissing his way down my neck. He laid me back down and started making his way down my body once he had me settled onto the sleeping bags. I arched into him again as he kissed his way down and when he pulled at my belly button piercing charm with his teeth I laughed and lifted my head, propping myself up on my elbows to look down at him. He looked up at me with a smile on his lips before he made quick work of the button and zipper of my jeans before he started tugging them down.

He got them passed my hips and down to my knees before he pulled my tennis shoes and socks off my feet and then pulled my jeans off the rest of the way. Despite the chill in the air outside the tent I was sweating as Jacob's hands skimmed up my legs and I had was so happy that I had shaved that morning during my shower. Goose bumps raced up my legs as Jacob moved up and kissed me while his hands gripped my hips. Only his jeans and my underwear separate us from each other now, and while I should have felt completely self-conscious and unsure about myself I had never felt more alive.

"You're so beautiful, Rory," he whispered as he pressed his forehead against mine.

"So are you," I said and he chuckled before he kissed me again. "You're perfect," I whispered as I felt his hands start to pull down my underwear.

"I'm not, but you make me want to be," he whispered against my mouth. I kissed him again as I raised my backside up a bit so he could get my underwear off and he only pulled away when he had to move further down my legs. He started to move back up, touching and lingering in certain areas on my body as he did so and I was already a trembling mess as I fell back against the sleeping bags. Jacob was kissing me again with hands exploring, but he was moving too slow and the raging fire was now an inferno and I wasn't nearly as close to him as every inch of my body wanted me to be.

I wrapped my legs around his hips and with a little force flipped us over so Jacob was now lying back on the sleeping bags. He let out a quiet 'oomph' before he laughed as I hovered above him, my hair creating a curtain around our faces. I smiled down at him as he raised his hands and pushed my hair back before he kept a hold of head and pulled my mouth down to his. I kissed him back for a moment before I pulled my lips away and licked them as I looked down at him.

"You're wearing too many clothes," I whispered and he grinned at me as my hands slid between our bodies and I sat back on my knees/his thighs before I unfastened his jeans. I ran my hand through my hair, tossing the long locks out of my face as Jacob sat back and watched me with eyes that were so dark they were almost black. I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans before I slipped my shaking hand inside and took him into my hand. Jacob groaned loudly and gripped the slipping bag at his side as he closed his eyes tightly.

"Aurora," he said, practically moaning my name, and the sound made various parts of my tingle and only spurred on the fire burning within me. He was already hard as a rock and judging by touch alone I was likely going to be walking a little funny when all was said and done.

I slipped my hand out of his jeans and started tugging his them down, and with his help I took his jeans off. I turned away from him to toss his jeans over to where he had tossed mine, but I didn't get to turn back to him because Jacob took me into his arms and kissed me hard. Soon, I found myself lying back down on the sleeping bags while Jacob moved away for a minute. I raised my head and looked at him, breathless and panting, and I watched as he put on protection; and the fact that his hands were shaking just as much as mine were did not escape me. He moved back over to me and kissed me yet again as he settled himself between my legs. However, as he wrapped his arm around my back to hold me close, he paused and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Are you sure?" he asked and I actually snorted, which made him grin as he lifted his head and open his eyes to look at me.

"Jacob, I've never wanted anything more in my entire life than I want you right now and if you stop, I swear I will find the heaviest thing I can and knock you upside the head with it," I said earning a chuckle from Jacob before he kissed me chastely.

"I just want you to be sure," he said.

"I'm sure, now, shut up and make love to me, Jacob," I said as I ran my left hand down his face. He closed his eyes briefly at my touch before he kissed me yet again and slowly the two of us finally became one.


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews for the last chapter and all your adds. I'm really glad you all enjoyed it. This chapter is getting posted MUCH later than I intended because I spent a majority of my evening tonight rewriting it. I'm really not all that happy with it, but I promised you guys a post on Saturday and where I live it is currently 11:50pm, so, I am cutting it a little close. I'm in the process of responding to all of your reviews, but if I miss you thank you for reading. I hope you all like this chapter and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twlightly.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

I smiled to myself as I laid curled up into Jacob's side, my head resting on his chest/shoulder as his left arm was wrapped securely around my back and holding me in place. His hand was on my lower waist, just above my hip, and he was snoring softly. It was still the middle of the night, given the deep level of darkness that still surrounded Jacob and me in the tent and the absolute stillness of the air outside. The only noises around were Jacob's gentle snores, the sound of the waves hitting the shore below, and the rustling of the breeze that had died down a bit outside. I ached in places that I didn't think it was possible to ache in, but it was a good kind of ache hence the reason for my smile.

It had been a great day. I had gotten to spend the entire day with the people that I cared about the most, and that night . . . that night had been everything I dreamed about and more. At first it had hurt, quite a bit actually, but Jacob had use that magnificent self-control of his and allowed my body to get accustomed to the new intrusion before I couldn't take it anymore and was practically begging him to move. As clichéd as it sounded, making love to Jacob was like magic and even though Jacob was as nervous as I was, it was about as perfect as a first time could be. It was amazing and it wasn't a night that I would ever forget, and one that I doubted Jacob would ever let me forget; especially since I knew that there would be _many_ nights like tonight in my future.

Jacob had fallen asleep shortly after the second round that had taken place barely twenty minutes after the first with me tucked securely in his side just as I was now. However, I had yet to even doze off despite the fact that I was exhausted and completely spent after the long day and Jacob's and my activities that evening. Sleep was not coming easy to me that night because I was just too _happy_ to sleep. My mind was in a million different places as I practically laid on top of Jacob and listened to his soft snores and the steady fast rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear.

My eyes were used to the dark and while I couldn't see as well as Jacob could in the dark I could make out enough to look at the bracelet that remained around my left wrist, and my smile grew as I lifted my hand off Jacob's chest and looked at it. I'd meant it when I told Jacob that I liked the bracelet more than a promise ring. I hadn't gotten a close look at it because I'd been so overwhelmed by the meaning of it, but it was beautiful and I couldn't wait until Jacob explained what everything within the bracelet meant. Still smiling, I lowered my hand back on to Jacob's chest and gently ran my hand across the soft skin that covered stone like muscles before my hand came to rest on his right shoulder.

I sighed contentedly as I snuggled even closer to him before I placed a soft kiss on his chest. Jacob's arm tightened around me before his right arm raised and he turned slightly towards me and raised his hand to rest on my left forearm on his chest. For a moment I thought he'd woken up, however, his gentle snores didn't cease. I lifted my head a bit to look at his face. His head was still lulled back, his eyes still closed, and his mouth was open ever so slightly, which was all clear signs that Jacob was still asleep and I smiled yet again before I settled my head back down on his chest/shoulder. I let out another soft sigh before I finally closed my eyes and was gently lulled to sleep by the sound of Jacob's heartbeat.

* * *

When I woke up, I was surprisingly cold and wrapped up in the sleeping bag Jacob and I had crawled in to after our love making like a cocoon. Jacob wasn't in the tent and that explained why I was so chilled since his heat was gone. I frowned as I sat up, still wrapped up in the sleeping bag and listened for any sort of sound outside the tent to tell me that Jacob was outside but I heard nothing. My frown only deepened as I climbed out of the sleeping bag. I shivered as the cool morning air that filled the tent hit my completely nude body, but I moved as quickly as my sore body would allow over to my overnight bag.

My hands were trembling slightly from the chilly morning as I gathered my discarded clothes from last night; forgoing my underwear I quickly tugged on my jeans and t-shirt. I felt a little grimy and would have liked to shower, but that wasn't really an option for me that morning. It didn't take me long to get dressed and once I was, I ran my brush through my hair and threw it up into a ponytail, using the ties I had packed in my bag, before I tugged on my shoes and climbed out of the tent. Even though I knew I didn't have a reason to be, I was worried about Jacob because he wouldn't just leave me alone in the middle of nowhere without any way to get back home; especially after last night. However, the second I stepped outside I found that I had no reason to be worried.

"Jacob," I breathed when I saw him sitting on one of the large rocks that lined the edge of the cliff and he looked at me, a small smile fluttering over his full lips as he lowered his bare feet to the ground and stood from the rock before he started walking over towards me. His jeans hung low on his hips and I couldn't help but blush at the thoughts that filled my still sleep laced mind as I started walking towards him and met him half way. He was quick to wrap his hands around my waist while my hands rested on his shoulders before he lifted me from the ground with ease and drew me closer to him as his mouth captured mine and he wrapped his arms around my back.

I smiled into the kiss as I wrapped my left arm around his shoulders before my right hand made its way into his hair. He continued to hold me dangling up from the ground, but I was not going to complain. Instead, I wrapped my legs around his waist and he groaned quietly into our kiss before his tongue made its way into my mouth. I could have stood there wrapped around Jacob and kissing him like that forever, but sadly it didn't last much longer because Jacob sighed before he pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead against mine. Both of us were breathless and I smiled to myself as I realized that Jacob's right hand was holding on to my backside while his left rested on the back of my neck.

"Good morning," I said softly and he chuckled as he lifted his head. His brown eyes met my blue and he smiled at me.

"Morning," he whispered before he kissed me chastely. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked after a few more stolen kisses and I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said softly, "did you?"

"Better than I ever have," he said and my smile grew as I looked at him.

"I was a little disappointed though when I woke up and you weren't there," I said and he sighed quietly before he gave me a sheepish grin and slowly lowered me back to the ground. My body slid along his while my hands moved to rest on his chest and he closed his eyes as he sighed heavily before he grasped on to my hips and kept me close to his body as he reopened his eyes and looked down at me.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Why didn't you wake me when you woke up?" I asked.

"I was tempted to, but for completely selfish reasons and because of that I thought it was best to put a little space between us at first," he said and despite everything that had happened between us last night I felt my cheeks warm yet again as I looked at him.

"Oh," I said softly before I slid my hands back to up rest on the back of his neck and lacing my fingers together. "I wouldn't have minded, you know," I said honestly and he chuckled.

"I know," he said softly, "but I can tell by the way you're moving this morning that it probably wouldn't have been a good idea." His thumbs rubbed circles on my hip bones and the warmth his hands gave off was actually soothing and helped relax my tense muscles.

"Maybe," I said, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips and he sighed before he leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine once again, "but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing." He chuckled as he lifted and shook his head as he looked at me.

"I know," he said again with a small smile on his lips before I pulled those lips back down to mine and kissed him. Jacob's grip tightened slightly on my hips as he kissed me back. Slowly, I pulled my lips away and started kissing my way along his jaw and then down his neck before I made my way back up and nibbled on his ear. "Aurora," he whispered, his hands tightening on my hips even more before he gently pushed me back. I gave him an innocent look as he grinned at me with darkened eyes.

"What?" I asked, feigning like I didn't have the slightest clue as to the affect I was having on him.

"Playing innocent doesn't really work anymore, Rory," Jacob said as his right hand left my hip and moved up to pull my hair free of the ponytail I had just put it in. The slightly knotted and matted curls fell awkwardly down my back before Jacob's fingers were tangled in them as he pulled my head back and kissed me hard. I kissed him back just as heatedly as he kissed me, but he pulled back after a beat and sighed as he pressed his forehead to mine once again.

"Come on, Jacob," I whispered as pulled my head back slightly. "I don't have to be home until noon, so, we've got the entire morning to do whatever we want to do. Let's make the most of it." Thankfully, Jacob didn't need to be told twice because in one swift movement Jacob picked me up from the ground and once again carried me towards the tent where we definitely made very good use of the time we had left together that morning.

* * *

"Don't worry about any of this stuff," Jacob said as the two of us climbed out of the tent several hours later, me with my overnight bag in hand and dressed in the clean clothes I had packed. I was even more need of a shower, but it was going to have to wait until I get home. "I'll come back later today and get everything." I smiled at him and nodded my head as he laced the fingers of his left hand with my right and started to lead me towards the trees.

"We didn't even get to use the portable fire pit you brought," I said and he chuckled as he looked at me, a grin on his face, and I smiled at him yet again.

"Next time," he said and I nodded once more, hearing the promise in his words and knowing that there would definitely be another night like last night for the two of us. He looked ahead and the two of us walked further into the trees. Jacob let go of my hand and I had half expected him to disappear behind the trees, but to my surprise he didn't. He took several steps away from me before he pulled a piece of twine out of the pocket of his jeans and took them off in one swift movement. I smirked as I watched him bed over an tie his jeans to his left leg, and I couldn't help but admire his backside and the slight indentations (dimples really) that rested on each cheek. He righted himself and looked at me over his shoulder with a grin and I smiled back at him.

"You've got an amazing butt, Jacob," I said, unembarrassed and unashamed to tell him that and he chuckled before he winked at me.

"Yours isn't too shabby either, Rory," he said and I laughed lightly before Jacob turned away from me. Barely a second later, human Jacob was no longer standing there, wolf Jacob was and he turned around to look at me. I smiled at him before I started walking over towards him and Jacob lowered his body to the ground for me; however, I paused near his head and placed a kiss on his muzzle as I ran my hand up between his eyes and over the top of his head. The action caused Jacob to close his dark eyes as he let out a grumbling sound of contentment that made my smile grow as he opened his eyes.

"Love you," I whispered as I lowered my hand and was rewarded by Jacob licking the side of my face before he nudged my cheek slightly with his nose. I laughed as I wiped at my face with the back of my hand before I climbed onto his back, and as soon as I was securely in place Jacob took off into the trees.

* * *

It wasn't long before we reached his house, and thankfully Billy's truck was gone or it would have been hard to explain why I was only just leaving when Billy thought I had left last night. Jacob walked me into his garage, his fingers once again laced with mine as we came to a stop beside the driver's side door of my car. I was leaning back against the door while Jacob stood in front of me, his hands resting on the car on either side of my shoulders and affectively blocking me from any sort of escape and from getting in the car right away. However, it wasn't like I was in all that much of a rush to leave him just then. If anything, I would have been happy to spend the rest of the day with him; but Charlie expected me home soon and I didn't want to disappoint him.

"If you can, try and keep your thoughts about what happened last night and this morning to yourself, Jacob," I said as I raised my right hand to his chest and Jacob smirked.

"Trust me, I'll do my best; especially when Collin's on patrol with me," he added, more to himself then to me since he glowered slightly and looked away from me. I laughed quietly as I raised my hand from his chest to the side of his face and brought his eyes back to mine.

"What does that mean?" I asked and Jacob sighed before he pressed his forehead to mine for the millionth time that morning and my hand moved to rest on the side of his neck.

"Collin's got a thing for you," Jacob said, or growled really, before he lifted his head and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "If he wasn't my cousin, I wouldn't have stopped myself from ripping his throat out the first time I ever caught him thinking something about you. I did scare him pretty good, but that only deterred him for a little while. He still thinks about you, but not when we're on patrol together. He knows I'd kill him."

"He's only thirteen, Jacob, give the kid a break," I said and he glowered at me.

"If you knew half of what he thought about you sometimes, you wouldn't be saying that, Rory," he said, still glowering and I blinked at him in response before I smiled at him and raised my right hand to the side of his face as I pushed up off the car and caught his lips with mine.

"I can't imagine that it's really all that comfortable for the guys to listen in on what you think about me all the time either, so, it's only natural that the younger guys at least get certain thoughts in their heads," I said. "I doubt your thoughts about me are PG all the time, Jacob." He sighed quietly as his hands left the side of the car and took up their normal residence on my hips as he pulled me closer to him.

"Are you saying it's _my_ fault that Collin's got a thing for you?" he asked with a grin and I nodded my head.

"Yes," I said evenly, "because I haven't talked all that much with Collin or Brady since they joined the pack because Sam keeps them busy. So, all his thoughts about me are your fault and not mine, mister," I concluded teasingly and Jacob chuckled before he kissed me chastely, my hand sliding from his face and into his hair as he did so. I don't think I would ever get tired of kissing Jacob because each time felt different and new, and I was positive that that was something that would never change.

"You're probably right," he said quietly once he pulled his lips from mine and I smiled.

"I know I am," I said and he chuckled once more before he made to kiss me again, but I stopped him. "I need to get home, Jacob," I said quietly and he sighed heavily as he looked at me, his brown eyes scanning my face as if he was memorizing it because we were going to be a part for a long time.

"All right," he said quietly before he slowly let me go. "I'll see you tonight," he promised and I nodded my head.

"I'll leave the window open," I said and he kissed me one last time before I climbed into the car. After tossing my bag onto the passenger seat I fastened my seatbelt and started the car. With one final wave at Jacob who smiled at me from where he stood in the garage, I pulled out and headed home.

* * *

"Aurora, Bella, or both?" came Charlie's voice from the kitchen as I walked into the house and I smiled as I sat my bag down at the foot of the stairs. On my way home, I had called Bella on her cell phone to confirm that she was still at the Cullens' before I got home and she was. So, my excuse for coming home without Bella was that Alice was going over flower arrangements with Bella and Edward.

"Aurora," I said as I headed for the kitchen and smiled at him. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in hand with the morning newspaper laid out in front of him, but he was holding something in his hand. "What's that?" I asked as I walked over to him, pushing the sleeves of my thin sweater up to my elbows as I did so, and he sighed quietly as he held the white linen card out to me. I recognized it right away and smiled sadly as I looked at him. "Alice mailed you an invitation?" I asked and Charlie nodded as he sighed and sat back in his chair.

"She told me she was going to, but I really didn't expect to get it I the mail already," he said and I put the invitation down on the table. "It's really happening isn't it?" he asked and I put my hand on his left shoulder and nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

"I still can't believe it," Charlie said and I squeezed his shoulder which drew his eyes up to my face and I smiled at him.

"You still have me, Charlie," I said through my bright smile as I gently shook his shoulder to try and get him to smile and thankfully it worked. Charlie chuckled as he stood from his chair, my hand falling away from his shoulder as he did so before he hugged me tightly. I was quick to return his hug as I smiled into his flannel shirt, my face in his shoulder, while he rubbed his hand up and down my back. He hugged me for a few beats before he gave me one more good squeeze.

"That I do," he said before he pulled back and looked at me, holding on to my shoulders as he did. "Just don't go marrying Jacob the second you graduate high school, okay?" I laughed lightly at that and shook my head, a blush warming my cheeks at the fact that Charlie had declared Jacob being the guy I was bound to marry. Granted, he didn't know how hard he had hit the nail on the head, but I did.

"Don't worry, Charlie," I said. "I don't plan on getting married anytime soon. I just turned seventeen and I've got stuff I want to do before I settle down and get married. Like college and start a career doing something. I still have to figure that part out."

"Good," he said as he let go of my shoulders and I tucked a few loose strands of hair that had worked their way free of my half hazardly thrown up ponytail. "What's that?" Charlie asked as he raised his right hand and took hold of my left hand in his.

"Jacob's present," I said as Charlie turned the bracelet around my wrist before he looked at me. "He gave it to me before I left for Alice's last night," I said, hating the fact that the lie was so easy to say since it was something I had done far too often. "He made it for me."

"It's nice," he said as he let go of my hand and I smiled as I turned the bracelet around my wrist, remembering watching Jacob secure the bracelet to my wrist with such a determined look on his face, before I looked back at Charlie.

"Thanks," I said softly and Charlie furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at me. "What?" I asked with a light laugh.

"You love him, don't you?" Charlie asked suddenly and I blinked at him in surprise before I lowered my hands to my sides and felt my cheeks warm.

"Would you think I'm crazy if I said yes?" I asked and Charlie's furrowed brow remained.

"Why would I think you're crazy?" he asked.

"Because Jacob and I have only been dating about two months," I said and Charlie smiled at me then as he shook his head.

"I knew I loved Bella's mom after our first date, Aurora," he said and I grinned. "When it happens it happens. Sometimes you don't even expect it."

"Like you and Sue now, right?" I asked and it was Charlie's turn to blush once again before he cleared his throat awkwardly, which only made my grin turn into a smile.

"Just, please do me a favor and stick to your plans to go to college and everything before get married. Live a little bit, okay?" he asked and I nodded.

"I will, Charlie. I promise," I said sincerely and he hugged me once more. Yet again, I smiled into Charlie's shoulder as I hugged him back and I knew I would keep the promise I had just made. I wanted to go to college and everything; and unlike Bella I wasn't under a time crunch when it came to being with Jacob forever.

* * *

"I was starting to wonder if you really were going to come tonight," I said later that night from where I laid on my bed, book in hand, as Jacob swept his way into my bedroom. He smiled at me before he crossed the small distance from my window to the bed and crawled onto it with me. He kissed me as I slid my bookmark in between the pages of my book and closed it before I tossed it aside and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him even closer to me.

"Sorry I'm late," he whispered against my lips and I smiled at him as my hands slid from his back and down his chest as he sat down on my bed and pulled me so I was sitting across his lap.

"Well, I think you more than made up for it just then," I said and he chuckled quietly as he started playing with my still damp hair. I had taken my second shower of the day before I had locked myself away in my room because after lunch with Charlie I had washed up, changed, and tried out the new shoes Edward and Bella had given me for my birthday. It felt like I had an endless amount of energy to burn off all day and it was only now as I sat there with Jacob that I finally felt how tired I really was.

"You're still wearing your bracelet," he said quietly as I rested my head on his shoulder while his right hand continued to play with my hair and his left gently touched my wrist that rested in my lap.

"I told you I'd only take it off when I showered, and that was the only time I took off today," I said honestly and he kissed the top of my head. "What does it all mean, Jacob?" I asked him quietly and I felt him press his cheek to the same area that he had just kissed before he started to explain the 'secrets' of the bracelet he had made for me.

The knots symbolized our names and each color woven into the bracelet represented various promises that Jacob would keep. He would protect me, value me, honor me, love me, and a few other promises while the tiny beads were more for decoration than anything else. It was even more beautiful and special to me now that I knew the meaning behind everything, and I smiled tiredly before I closed my eyes.

"Are you staying tonight?" I asked in a whisper as the fingers of his right hand continued to play with my hair while his left hand held on to mine in my lap.

"Do you want me to?" he asked and I scoffed a laugh as I opened my eyes and lifted my head to meet his eyes.

"I'll never _not_ want you to, Jacob," I said and he smiled at me before he leaned in and kissed me chastely.

"Then I'll stay," he whispered before he pressed his forehead to mine and I sighed contentedly at his touch. "Rory, can I ask you something?" he asked after a few quiet beats and when he lifted his head I nodded.

"Sure," I said and he let go of my hand to tuck my hair behind my right ear.

"Why don't you ever call me Jake like everyone else?" he asked.

"You noticed that, huh?" I asked with a small smile and he chuckled as he nodded.

"Yeah," he said quietly and I was quiet for a beat, which made him tilt his head slightly as he looked at me. "Well?" he asked and I sighed quietly.

"It's a silly reason, really," I said.

"You can tell me," he said and I nodded before I raised my right hand to the side of his face and ran my thumb along his impossibly high cheekbones.

"To everyone else you're Jake. Hardly anyone actually calls you Jacob and . . . and I just prefer to call you Jacob over Jake, I guess. Lame excuse I know, but that's why. Would you rather I call you Jake?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No," he said softly as he raised his hand to mine and wrapped his warm fingers around my wrist. "I like that you call me Jacob. I was just curious." I smiled at him then as I leaned in to him and kissed him soundly before I pulled my lips from his and rested my head on his shoulder with my face tucked into the crook of his neck. "Tired?" he asked and I could hear the smile in his voice as he asked the one word question.

"Mhmm," I hummed in response and he chuckled before he somehow was able to maneuver us so we were lying back on the bed and under the covers. However, I really didn't care how he did it and once again I found myself being lulled to sleep by the sound of Jacob's heartbeat underneath my ear. "I love you," I whispered as sleep started to claim me, but before I fell asleep completely I felt Jacob's lips press to the top of my head once more and his whispered response.

"I love you too, Aurora."

* * *

Several weeks later I found myself at the Cullens' place to help them put the finishing touches on everything for Bella and Edward's wedding which was the following day. Jacob wasn't exactly happy that I was there on my own, and would have come with me if Sam didn't have him on patrol. In reality I was really there for moral support for Bella than anything else since she had practically begged me to go along with her. She was slightly overwhelmed with everything that Alice had planned and thought it was all a little bit too much for what she had hoped would be a simple affair. However, Bella really should have known better since it was Alice that planned the whole thing.

While Bella was 'walking' for Alice in the rather beautiful yet very high heeled shoes Alice had picked out for Bella to wear with her dress that I had yet to see, I excused myself to use the bathroom. I had been working with Bella, trying to help her break in those shoes over the last three days; however, it wasn't going all that well. Poor Bella couldn't walk in high heels to save her life, and I could only hope that she wouldn't stumble and fall as she walked down the aisle towards Edward tomorrow. However, with Charlie walking her down the aisle I knew that that was probably never going to happen.

I finished using the facilities and as I started to make my way back outside and onto the deck where Alice and Bella were waiting, I saw Edward standing at one of the windows on in the main room that looked out into the backyard. I frowned slightly as I took a detour and instead of heading downstairs, I walked over to where Edward stood hands in his pockets and a pensive look on his face. However, like always I couldn't sneak up on Edward even I tried to and he turned around to look at me, pulling his hands from his pockets as he did so. I came to a stop and offered him a small smile as I gently laced my fingers together in front of me.

"Hi," I said and Edward gave me a small smile.

"Hello," he said in his usual gentle tone and I tilted my head to the side.

"What's with the pensive look?" I asked.

"Pensive?" he asked with a grin and I rolled my eyes.

"I have a pretty decent vocabulary, Edward," I said, smiling slightly, and Edward chuckled.

"Indeed," he said and I walked a little closer to him as I let my hands fall to my sides before I glanced outside and at the beautiful set up Alice and the others were creating.

"The look on your face sort of makes me think you're having second thoughts," I said before my eyes returned to Edward's face. "Are you?"

"No," he said with a gentle shake of his head before he sighed softly and looked outside. "I've waited a hundred years for to marry Bella, Aurora. I'm not having second thoughts," he finished as he looked at me once more.

"Then what is it?" I asked with a frown. "Why do you look like you don't want tomorrow to happen?" He sighed once more before he ran his hand through his bronze colored hair and let his hand fall to his side.

"Bella doesn't know everything about my past, Aurora," he said. "There is a time of my existence that I am not proud of."

"I don't understand," I said as I shook my head, my ponytail swinging on the back of my head, and pushed the sleeves of my sweater up to my elbows. I was wearing the sweater that Sam and Emily had gotten me for my birthday and it had quickly settled into regular rotation in my wardrobe because I absolutely loved it.

"It's complicated," he said quietly and I offered him a small smile before I raised my left hand to rest on his shoulder, which was such a stark contrast to what I was used to. Edward felt like ice beneath my hand while Jacob always felt like fire.

"I think we've established that you can trust me, Edward," I said. "I'll give you my honest opinion, on whether or not whatever it is that is bothering you should."

"That I don't doubt," he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips and I laughed before I gently pushed at his shoulder. Unfortunately, he didn't even budge but I smiled at him all the same as I lowered my hand.

"What is it?" I asked and he sighed once more before he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the floor between our feet for a moment and then slowly turned his golden eyes to my blue.

"A few years after Carlisle created me, I rebelled against him," Edward said and my smile slipped away. "I resented him for curbing my appetite and for a while, I went off on my own. I wanted to know how it felt to truly hunt and to taste human blood." The look on Edward's face was almost painful as he spoke, and oddly enough my heart went out to him. "All the men I killed were monsters. Murders and men who only intended harm on other people, but that was just what I was."

"Edward," I said softly as I took half a step closer to him and I think the movement actually surprised him as he uncrossed his arms. I think he expected me to be afraid of him after he told me what he'd done. "You knew what those men were thinking; their intentions. You didn't just kill randomly and without care; in the end, you probably actually saved more people because of what you did."

"That's what I told myself," he said with a shake of his head as he looked at me, "but they were all human. I looked into their eyes as they died and saw who I was, and what I was capable of."

"And what Bella will be capable of when all is said and done, right?" I asked, not needing to be a mind reader to know where Edward's thoughts had taken him. He sighed once more, but nodded his head. "Look, Edward, I know that you worry about her and while she and I have had our _rocky_ moments," I said with a grin, "I know that she'll be fine. With you, Carlisle, Esme, and the others to guide her in the right direction; I'm sure she'll be able to get a handle on everything before you know it. Talk to her about this tonight, and I bet you anything that she'll tell you that she can do it because you were able to."

"There's that certainty and conviction of yours, Aurora. You speak as though you're the one that can read minds," he said and I laughed softly as I shook my head.

"No," I said, "I'm just observant." I reached out and took hold of his right hand, encasing his hand with both of mine since like Jacob Edward had rather big hands. "Trust me, Edward, the two of you are meant to be together and as long as you're together the two of you will be able to do anything." Edward smiled at me before he looked down at our hands. I followed his gaze as he raised his left hand and gently touched the bracelet I wore before we looked at each other once again.

"Like you and Jacob," he said and I smiled.

"Yeah, like Jacob and me," I said and he scoffed a quiet laugh as I let go of his hand and returned my hands to my sides as he did.

"Jacob is a lucky young man to have you, Aurora," he said, "and he knows it too."

"I like to think that I'm the lucky one, Edward," I said as I turned the bracelet on my wrist as my blue eyes held Edward's gold. "For a long time, I pretty much thought my life was over but then I found out I had family I didn't even know about. I came here and I met Alice, Jacob, the pack, and all of you. Now, you and Bella are getting married and someday Jacob and I will too; we'll all really be family then, but it's like we're already one big dysfunctional family and I love it."

"Of course you would," he said dryly and I laughed while he looked out the window briefly before he returned his eyes to me. "Alice is sending Bella home to get rest up for tomorrow."

"Which is my cue to leave as well since I was Bella's ride," I said with a smile and Edward nodded. "I know the groom isn't supposed to see the bride the night before the wedding, but stop by tonight to talk to her. Get what's bothering you off your chest, okay?"

"Okay," he said with a small smile and I nodded before I patted his shoulder and turned to leave. However, Edward's voice stopped me when I reached the stairs. "Aurora?" he asked and I turned around to look at him from where I stood by the stairs.

"Yeah?" I asked and he had a grin on his face that made me feel slightly uneasy.

"Tomorrow at the wedding, please tell Jacob to keep his thoughts in order once he sees you in the dress Alice has selected for you," he said. "He thinks rather loudly and I could honestly do without the mental images he often whips up these days." I was certain my face had never been redder as I glared at Edward who chuckled at my expression before I picked up the nearest throwable object and launched it at Edward with all my might. Sadly, his reflexes and the fact that he knew the reaction his words would cause allowed him to catch the object with ease as he smiled at me.

"Not funny, Edward," I said and he grinned at me once more, seemingly far more at ease than he had been when I stumbled upon him earlier; and despite my anger and embarrassment I found myself smiling back at him. "I'll talk to him," I said hastily, and Edward chuckled yet again.

"Thank you," he said as he nodded his head and I quickly turned on the balls of my feet, descending the stairs as fast as I could, but all the while I was sending mental curses at the vampire who was now laughing full heartedly at me. Yes, we certainly were one big dysfunctional family and in all honesty I wouldn't change a thing.


	20. Chapter 20

****Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you guys like this one as well, and in this chapter you'll be semi-introduced to Aurora's friends in San Diego. Thank you for reading and as I always say, please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

I was getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth and washing my face, and once I was done I sighed heavily and rested my hands on the edge of the sink before I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I used to stare at my reflection all the time, scowling slightly at my various flaws and wishing that my nose wasn't as flat as I perceived it to be or that my lips weren't as full as they were. My mom used to tell me how pretty I was all the time, of course I didn't believe her because she was my mom and she was _supposed_ to tell me I was pretty. Plus, it really wasn't all that big of a secret that I wasn't as pretty as my girlfriends back in San Diego; at least in my opinion anyway. They would always argue differently with me if I ever mentioned anything.

They were lithe and petite while I was this towering and slightly athletic giant. Usually the guys that I liked always went after either Gina or Melody, but I didn't fault my friends. They were both very pretty in the stereotypical 'California girl' kind of way with their tans and blonde hair and cheery personalities. We were similar in a lot of ways personality wise, but guys always went for them, and in all honesty I had always been a little jealous of them. I'd never told them and I managed to keep it well hidden, but I was.

It was so easy for them to interact with guys and all they had to do was flip their hair over their shoulders and smile at a guy and he'd be tripping over himself to try and impress them. However, since I e-mailed them a photo of Jacob and I together that was taken the week before my birthday neither one of them let their jealousy of my relationship be a secret. I found myself smiling and laughing quietly to myself as I remembered the three-way telephone conversation I had had with Gina and Melody the day before my birthday last month and the craziness that was my friends.

* * *

"_Did you guys get it?" I asked as I sat back in my desk chair and closed the internet explore window to see the very image of Jacob and my smiling faces that I had e-mailed to my friends._

_Emily had snapped the candid shot of Jacob and I as we sat next to each other in front of one of the logs that the guys had put next to the makeshift fire pit that they had created on the beach for the get together we had that evening. Jacob's left arm was wrapped around my shoulders and I was practically cuddled into his side with my left hand resting on his chest and gently grasping the front of his t-shirt. I was smiling brightly, albeit almost cheesily, for the camera while Jacob was sporting that charming smile of his that always seemed to be on his face anymore. It had been a chilly night that night and between Jacob's warmth and the warmth of the fire I had been toasty warm the entire night._

"_I got it," Gina chimed first quickly followed by Melody who apparently just opened the attachment rather than say anything._

"_Holy shit, Aurora," Melody said. "_That's_ Jacob?" I laughed and nodded my head even though they couldn't see me._

"_Yeah, that's him," I said._

"_Lucky bitch," Gina said, sounding almost breathless and I laughed once again. "The two of you are sitting down and he makes you look tiny, girl, how tall is he?" she asked and I smiled._

"_Tall," I said dryly. "I think he said he's six-seven, but I really think he's a little bit taller than that."_

"_And what two hundred and sixty pounds of pure muscle?" Melody asked and I smiled_

"_You know, I don't know how much he weighs," I said with a light chuckle. "I've never asked, but he is built I'll tell you that."_

"_Please tell me you've finally lost your v-card, Aurora. That is definitely the kind of guy you'd want to lose it to," Gina said and I felt my cheeks warm in a light blush as I stood from my desk chair and flopped back against my bed._

"_G, I like Jacob for more than his body," I said. "He's sweet, funny, and-,"_

"_And smart, yeah, we know," they harmonized before they broke out laughing and my blush deepened as I laughed with them._

"_He's seriously all you talk about, Aurora," Melody said. "So, we know that you like the guy for more than his physical attributes, but come on. You cannot tell me that you two aren't getting it on like rabbits every chance you get."_

"_We've only been dating for a couple of months, Mel," I said my face flaming red, "and we're not."_

"_How are you not?" Gina asked and I smiled._

"_It's not for lack of trying on my part, believe me, but Jacob wants our first time together to be special. It'll be his first time ever too, and he doesn't want to rush into anything," I added without really thinking and I knew it was Gina that scoffed._

"_You seriously believe that a guy that looks like that is a virgin, Aurora?" she asked and I smiled._

"_I know he is," I said. "Things move a little slower up here, G. Plus, I'm the first serious girlfriend Jacob's had just like he's my first serious boyfriend."_

"_That doesn't mean he is a virgin, Aurora," Melody said and I sighed quietly._

"_Jacob's not the kind of guy that would just have sex with a girl without being in a relationship with her for a while and had feelings for her," I said, feeling the need to defend my boyfriend. "I know you find it hard to believe but it's true. Guys like that exist out there. Plus, I told you guys before that the girl he was hung up on before he met me was off limits because she was dating someone else." I hadn't and would never tell Gina and Melody that Jacob had once had feelings for Bella. Since she was my cousin they would throw all sorts of conspiracy theories at me and say that Jacob had ulterior motives that I knew were not true but I couldn't correct them because I couldn't tell them just why I knew they were wrong._

"_Well, when it finally does happen please do not spare us any details," Gina said and I laughed as I shook my head._

"_I am not going to provide fuel so you can have a twisted fantasy about my boyfriend, G," I said and she sighed._

"_Fine," she said and Melody laughed._

"_On a more serious note, you guys look good together," Melody said after a beat and I smiled once again._

"_Yeah, you make one hell of a hot couple. If you guys are together for the long haul and end up having kids, they are seriously going to be some of the best looking kids on the planet," Gina said and I rolled my eyes, but I didn't say anything in response. "Damn it, I hate you, Aurora." Melody and I laughed at that before Gina followed suit._

"_You guys have to come down and visit," Melody said, "or we can even come up there. G and I have to meet Jacob in person before he gets the best friends' seal of approval."_

"_I don't know, Mel, I think he get's mine thanks to that smile alone," Gina said and Melody and I laughed._

"_Stop perving on my boyfriend, G," I said though my laughter, which only made Gina join in Melody and my giggle fit._

"_I can't help it, Aurora!" she exclaimed. "He's like sex personified."_

"_Oh my goodness," I said, my laughter only increasing. "You are _never_ meeting him if you're going to say things like that, G."_

"_Hey, I don't stick my hands in other people's cookie jars," Gina said and another round of laughter ensued because that was such a Gina thing to say._

"_I know that," I said once my laughter quieted down, "but you won't be too shy to tell him just how hot you think he is and I'll have to deal with the ego boost you'll give him."_

"_True," she said after a beat, "but if I promise to keep my comments to a minimum, can I meet him?" I heaved a dramatic sigh, pretending to mull over her question before I smiled._

"_Okay, okay," I said which earned a cheerful squeal from my friend._

"_I'm really glad you're doing a lot better, Aurora," Melody said suddenly._

"_What do you mean?" I asked, slightly confused by Melody's statement._

"_She means that before you left we knew you were still hurting, Aurora," Gina said, her tone no longer playful, "and during our phone calls over the last month and a half you've sort of turned back into the Aurora we knew and loved before everything happened."_

"_Even though we didn't really show it, we were worried about you," Melody admitted. "It seems like moving to Washington and away from everything was the right move. You sound like you again." I sat up and tucked some lose strands of hair behind my left ear as I felt tears prickle the corners of my eyes because I knew they were right, but it wasn't just moving to Washington that 'fixed' me. It was meeting Jacob. However, it was at that moment that I missed Gina and Melody more than I ever have since I moved to Forks._

"_Okay, if we get anymore serious, I'm going to start crying. Let's talk more about how hot Aurora's boyfriend is and does he have any brothers or equally hot friends?" Gina asked quickly and I laughed lightly despite the tears in my eyes because leave it to Gina to ruin a perfectly good moment._

* * *

I laughed softly at the memory as I pushed myself up off the sink and sighed quietly as I tightened the messy bun I had pulled my hair back up into. I was excited because the girls were actually coming flying up to Seattle and then on to Port Angeles where I would be waiting to pick them up in two days to spend a week up in perpetually rainy Forks with me before they would fly back home to get ready for the start of their senior year. I wasn't sure how they were going to fair in the weather seeing as they were most definitely not accustomed to sixty to seventy degree cloudy weather in August, but they both had promised me that they would do their best not to complain. I couldn't wait to see them and while I was dreading introducing Gina to Jacob, I knew it was going to be an entertaining week to say the least.

I did break down and tell them during one of our conversations after my birthday that Jacob and I had slept together, but much to Gina's dismay I did not give them any details other than telling them it was the best night of my life. Smiling to myself, I turned to the door before I opened it and turned off the bathroom light behind me as I stepped out into the hallway only to practically jump out of my skin when I saw a shirtless and grinning Jacob standing in the hallway just outside the bathroom door and near the top of the stairs.

"Jeez," I hissed in a whisper before I pursed my lips and shoved his shoulder, which made him chuckle quietly but not move an inch. Internally, I was panicking slightly since I could hear the evening news playing on the TV downstairs, meaning that Charlie was still awake. I quickly took hold of Jacob's hand before I pulled him into my bedroom. Once we were inside, I closed the door and turned back around to look at him. "What are you -," I started, but didn't get to finish because I found myself pressed up against the door and Jacob's mouth on mine. I sighed into the kiss as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders/neck and started kissing him back just as feverishly as he was kissing me. Unfortunately, the kiss didn't last very long in my opinion.

"Hi," he said huskily and I slid my hands from around his back to rest on his chest as I shook my head slightly, a small smile on my now swollen lips, and looked at him.

"Hi," I said back and he started to lean back in to kiss me once more, but I gently pushed at his chest and he stopped and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" I finally asked.

"Do I need a reason to come and see my girlfriend?" he asked, grinning slightly as he adjusted his grip on my hips.

"No," I said with a light laugh and a pause before I continued, "but what were you doing in the hallway? Charlie could have seen you, and you most definitely wouldn't have been able to talk your way out of that situation, Jacob." He chuckled as he shook his head and shuffled his feet closer to me.

"Charlie's currently sawing logs on the sofa, Rory," he said, "and I wouldn't have left your room if he wasn't." He moved faster than I was ready for and caught my lips with his before I found myself hoisted from the floor. My legs, out of instinct, wrapped around his waist as he turned around and started walking further into my room. Before I knew it, I was lying back on my bed with Jacob above me supporting his weight with his hands that rested on either side of my shoulders. Slowly, his kiss trailed away from my mouth before he kissed along my jaw and then down my neck, his teeth nipping slightly at my now overly sensitive skin.

"You leave a mark on me tonight, Jacob, and I'll kill you," I said breathlessly and Jacob chuckled before he lifted his head to look at me. I had plans to wear my hair up tomorrow and if Jacob left a mark on me, I wouldn't be able to. "I'm serious," I said dryly as his dark eyes met my blue and he smiled before he leaned down and kissed me chastely. When he pulled back, he sat back on the bed, pulling me with him so I was sitting across his lap, my feet dangling off the side of my bed, as he sat back against the small mountain of pillows I had on my bed.

"Fine," he said with a sigh and I laughed as I rested my head on his shoulder and brought my right hand up to rest on his chest while his right arm wrapped around my back and his warm hand settled on my outer right thigh.

"I didn't expect to see you tonight," I said quietly. "I thought you were going to spend the night in your own bed tonight since you told Billy you'd drive him to the Cullen's for the wedding tomorrow. You know I have to head over with Bella in the morning to help Alice get her ready and everything."

"I know, but I haven't seen you since this morning. I missed you," he said and I laughed softly as I lifted my head slightly so I could look at him.

"You're just trying to get as much time in with me as you can right now since you know my friends will monopolize my time while they're here," I said and he sighed heavily as he moved his left hand so it was resting on my right knee and his hand on my thigh gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Maybe," he said lightly and with a small pout on his face. I laughed quietly before I kissed his cheek.

"I love you, Jacob," I said in a whisper and his left hand left my knee and rose to cup my right cheek as he sighed softly and pressed his forehead to mine.

"I love you too," he said back easily and I smiled as I slid my hand up his chest to rest on the left side of his neck. I made to kiss him but his entire body tensed underneath me before I heard one of the last voices I ever expected to hear in my bedroom.

"Having fun?" came Emmett's voice and Jacob lowered his hand from mine my face as I jumped slightly in my seat on his lap. I looked at the window to see Emmett hanging on to the windowsill, his large frame taking up most of the open window, grinning as he looked at Jacob and me.

"Emmett? What the hell are you doing?" I asked with a laugh as I made to get up, but Jacob held me in place, which made me sigh as I looked at him. However, Emmett's voice stopped either one of us from speaking.

"Jazz and I came to get Edward, and despite smelling the pup I'd thought I'd stop in to say hi," he said and I looked at Emmett, a smile returning to my lips. Edward had shown up after all to talk to Bella, and for that I was glad; but why Emmett and Jasper came to get him was beyond me.

"Why are you and Jasper here to get Edward?" I asked curiously and he chuckled.

"His bachelor party of course," he said back, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Will strippers be involved?" I asked and Jacob snorted while Emmett grinned.

"Rose would literally have my head, so, no," he said and I laughed. "Just a few bears and a mountain lion or two."

"Well that sounds like . . . fun," I said slowly and Emmett chuckled once more. Emmett winked at me then, which earned him a small growl from Jacob. Emmett only rolled his eyes before he grinned at me.

"See you tomorrow Wolf Girl," he said before his eyes moved to Jacob. "Pup," he said simply before he disappeared from sight. It was then that I heard Edward, Jasper, and Emmett's laughter before the sound, just like Emmett, disappeared.

"Relax, Jacob, Emmett's harmless for the most part," I said when I realized that Jacob's body was still as tense as ever, and I ran a soothing hand back and forth over his chest. He sighed heavily as his brown eyes met my blue and I smiled at him, my hand moving up to rest along his jaw as I smiled at him.

"You know I don't like it that you're buddy-buddy with him, right?" he asked and I sighed quietly as I nodded my head and returned my hand to rest on his chest.

"I know, but as of tomorrow Emmett and the rest of the Cullens will be part of my family, Jacob," I said.

"Don't remind me. I still can't believe Bella's actually going through with this," Jacob said and I frowned slightly.

"Did you think she wouldn't?" I asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know," he said. "I guess I've sort of hoped that she would have gotten second thoughts. That she'd opt out of marrying the leech and live an actual normal life. After tomorrow night she won't even be alive anymore."

"Edward's not changing her tomorrow night. He's going to do it after their honeymoon," I said without thinking and I instantly regretted it. That was a secret I had promised myself I would keep the moment I had overheard Alice and Bella talking about Bella's after wedding plans during a shopping excursion to Port Angeles last week. I had acted like I hadn't heard what they had said and I had managed to not think about it around Edward, so, why in the hell would I just blurt that out to Jacob like that?

"What?" Jacob asked quietly, his voice tense. "What do you mean he's going to wait until after their honeymoon?"

"Nothing," I said as I made to get up again, but once more Jacob held me in place.

"Wait," he said forcefully and I looked at him. I'd seen the look that was currently on his face only once before, and that was at Bella's graduation party when he found out about the newborn vampires passing around my scent; and I did not like the feeling that settled in my stomach at the sight of it. "Do you mean to tell me that they're going to sleep together _before_ the leech changes her?" he asked, sounding far too pissed off for my liking.

"It's what Bella wants. She asked Edward and he agreed," I said tightly.

"Like hell that's happening. He'll kill her," he said as he lifted me off his lap, sat me on the bed, and stood up. He started walking away and I frowned as I quickly climbed from my bed.

"Where are you going?" I asked and he stopped just short of the door and turned around to look at me.

"To talk some sense into Bella," he said and I frowned, my heart hammering away in my chest as I looked at him.

"Why are you so worked up over this?" I asked.

"I'm not," he snapped and I scoffed.

"Really?" I asked when I noticed he was trembling and I saw his fists clench at his sides. I knew he'd never hit me, so, I wasn't afraid. Clenching his hands was one of his go to moves to try and calm himself down when he was worked up like he was at that moment. "Then why are you trembling like you're ready to phase in the middle of my bedroom?"

"Doesn't it upset you? Bella could get hurt," he said, completely avoiding my question, and I shrugged before I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew that Edward could snap Bella like a twig if he wasn't careful, but I also knew that Edward would be extremely cautious and aware of everything going on. He'd rather die than see anything happen to Bella, and I knew he would be as careful as he could be.

"I'm not totally on board with the idea because there is a chance she could get hurt, but it's not my decision to make. I wouldn't want Bella butting in on our sex life, so, I'm not going to butt in on hers," I said.

"This is ridiculous," he said as he turned on the balls of his feet and continued for the door.

"No, what's ridiculous is the fact that you seem to care far too much about something that doesn't concern you at all," I said angrily as Jacob wrapped his hand around the doorknob. "She's going to be a vampire in a week, Jacob, but she had told Edward that she wanted one last experience as a human. It shouldn't matter to you that they are going to have sex before Edward changes her, so, why does it?"

"Because I care about her," Jacob snapped as he let go of the doorknob and turned back around to look at me with a slight glare on his face. I could not put into words how much the way Jacob had said those five words and the look that was on his face as he looked at me and spoke them actually hurt, but I was proud of myself for keeping it together as I pointed to the window.

"Get out," I said as I fought against the tears I could feel coming as they started to sting my eyes.

"What? Why?" he asked me as he took a couple of steps towards me but I just shook my head as I bent my arm at the elbow before I pointed at the window once again.

"Leave, Jacob," I said and he frowned but did not move from where he stood. "I'm not kidding," I said as I lowered my hand back to my side. "I want you to go home."

"Whatever," he said tightly as he practically stomped his way passed me and to the window. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he started to climb out of the window, but I shook my head.

"No you won't," I said and he froze in place before he turned his head to look at me. "Don't bother coming to the wedding tomorrow, Jacob. You'll just ruin Bella's wedding day by pitching a fit. Stay home." He climbed back into my room and walked over to me so he was standing barely a foot away from me.

"If you think that I'm going to let you be there-," he started, but I stopped him.

"Right now I really don't care what you think, Jacob. I don't want you there," I said and the hurt that I saw flash in his eyes made me want to eat my words, but I managed to remain firm. "If you're _actually_ worried about my safety, don't be. Seth will be there with Sue, so, he'll have things covered."

"Fine, if that's what you want," he said, his voice still tight, and I nodded as I kept my expression neutral. However, the lone tear that rolled down my left cheek was a complete give away of the emotions swirling around in my head. I saw Jacob's eyes flicker to it for a second before they returned to mine.

"It's what I want," I said and I saw his jaw muscles tense before he turned around and practically launched himself out of the window. I quickly walked over and slammed it shut before I locked it just as a pain filled howl echoed outside. I walked away from the window, turned off my light, and laid on top of my bed, not bothering to take off the throw pillows or crawl under the covers, before I really started crying. That was only the second major fight that Jacob and I had had, and it wasn't even a huge blow out like the first one had been. However, this one felt far different and much more serious than the first.

I was hurt, confused, and angry by Jacob's reaction to something that didn't even concern him. I knew that Jacob wasn't in love with Bella, and that he only loved me, but hearing him say that he cared about Bella with such passion and such anger, which was directed right at me for questioning him, sort of put a kink in my armor. I didn't understand why he had such an issue with Bella's decision. He had accepted the fact that Bella was going to turn into a vampire, so, why was he having an issue with her wanting to sleep with Edward before the fact? It shouldn't matter to Jacob at all, but it did. It mattered a lot, and I wasn't exactly sure why that hurt me so much.

"Aurora?" came Bella's tentative voice and I was able to quiet my tears enough to turn my head and see her standing beside my bed, a concerned look on her face. I'd been so wrapped up in my head that I hadn't heard her come in or even noticed that she had turned on the lamp beside my bed. "What's wrong?" she asked and I shook my head before I looked away from her.

"It's nothing, Bella," I said as my tears eased up even more. "Jacob and I are just fighting."

"What happened?" she asked after a few quiet beats and I felt the bed sink slightly behind me, so, I knew she had sat down on the edge of my bed.

"I told him something and his reaction wasn't what I expected," I said. I sniffed quietly and wiped at my face as I sat up and turned to I was looking at her. "I told him not to come tomorrow. The way he was acting . . .," I paused and shook my head before I sighed softly. "I don't want us to get into another argument and ruin your wedding day, so, I told him to stay home. Does that upset you?"

"No, it's okay," she said. "I understand." I nodded and wiped at my face once more before I let out another heavy sigh and closed my eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," I answered honestly before I opened my eyes and looked at her, "but I'll be fine," I concluded with a small fake smile. "So, no worries, okay? You should get to bed so Alice doesn't lecture you about not getting enough beauty sleep for your big day." Bella nodded hesitantly before she stood from my bed. However, she didn't walk away right away like I had expected.

"Whatever it is, Aurora, the two of you will work it out," she said. "You love him, and I know he loves you a lot. With a little bit of effort, you guys can and will make it through anything." Of all the people to tell me pretty much the same thing I had told Edward earlier that day to ease his concerns about Bella becoming a vampire, I would have never expected it to be the girl in question. Especially since she was, unknowingly of course, the reason behind Jacob's and my argument.

"Thanks," I said quietly and she nodded her head before she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"No problem," she said. "Good night."

"Night," I said back and watched Bella leave my room, closing the door behind her as she went. I ran my hand over the top of my head and looked towards the window. I knew Jacob hadn't left the confines of the woods near the house. He was probably out there pacing and grumbling to himself about everything. However, I was too prideful at the moment to go rushing outside to try and work things out. Sighing yet again I didn't bother to turn off the light as I laid back down, wrapping my arms around one of my pillows and closing my eyes. I knew I wasn't going to sleep well that night, but I was going to try and get at least a little bit of sleep.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been laying there in the quiet with my eyes closed, but I was finally dozing off when I vaguely heard what sounded like my bedroom door opening. I didn't pay it much attention though and continued to drift off to sleep. However, when I felt the bed sink behind me and a very warm but unfamiliar hand settled on my waist, I was suddenly wide awake. I stiffened and was ready to scream and put up a fight when a familiar voice spoke quietly.

"It's me, Aurora," Embry said and I turned so I was looking at him, his face illuminated by the faint glow of my bedside lamp. His hand left my waist then and I sat up on my elbow, frowning as I looked at him.

"Embry, why are you here?" I asked and I saw Embry's cheeks turn red as he looked at me.

"Since the Cullens have a few vampire friends in town for the wedding tomorrow I was on patrol with Jared, Leah, and Paul when Jake phased," he said.

"Oh," I said quietly and sat up fully. "So, pretty much everybody knows what happened then," I said more than asked and he nodded.

"Leah basically told him he was an ass, as she gave him a verbal lashing for the ages," Embry said, a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips as he looked at me. I couldn't help but smile in return because even though I knew that Leah still didn't care all that much for me, it wasn't out of her character to call one of the guys out when they did something stupid. "He's sorry," Embry added quietly.

"For what? Telling me how he feels?" I asked as I looked away from Embry's face and at my hands that rested in my lap. However, my eyes landed on the bracelet Jacob gave me and I fought against the urge to take it off.

"No," Embry said and I looked at him once more. "He's sorry for the way he treated you and for not realizing that reacting the way he did to what you told him about Bella hurt your feelings."

"He should be the one to tell me he's sorry, Embry, not you," I said as I shook my head and Embry smiled at me.

"He knows you don't want to see him right now, which is why he asked me to come in and talk to you," Embry said and I sighed before I looked away from him again. "His reaction wasn't based on anything more than concern for his friend, Aurora," Embry said quietly and I returned my eyes to his face. Deep down, I knew that Embry was telling the truth because he really couldn't lie to safe his life, which was why he was the kind of avoidance; but there was still that sliver of doubt nagging at me that there was more to Jacob's reaction than that. "You know I wouldn't tell you that if it wasn't true. I heard it with my own . . . mind." I laughed softly at Embry's slight awkwardness and he smiled at me as pink rushed to his cheeks once more. "Do you want me to tell him anything?" he asked even though Jacob would see a replay of our entire conversation the second Embry phased.

"Tell him to get to the Cullen's place an hour before the wedding so we can talk," I said and Embry nodded. "And to be dressed for the occasion."

"Okay," he said before a thought suddenly hit me.

"Embry, how did you get in here?" I asked and he chuckled, his cheeks turning an even darker shade of pink.

"Bella," he said and I nodded then, understanding that he'd come through Bella's window. I gave him a weak smile before I leaned in to him and placed a soft kiss on his left cheek, which made his pink cheeks go red.

"Thank you, Embry," I said and he nodded as he roughly cleared his throat.

"You're welcome, Aurora," he said before he stood from the bed.

"If Jacob says anything to you about that kiss, tell him that was just me thanking a friend okay?" I asked and Embry nodded his head, a small smile tugging at his lips once more.

"Okay," he said and I laughed lightly before he turned away from me and walked over to the window. I watched him unlock and open the window before he turned back to look at me. "Good night," he said and I smiled at him.

"Night," I said and I watched him disappear out the window. I sighed quietly as I climbed from the bed and walked over to the open window. I closed it without looking outside before I turned back around and made my way back to bed. I turned off the light and laid down back on top of the covers before I wrapped my arms around a pillow. I felt much more relaxed than I had before Embry's visit and it wasn't long before I fell fast asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey everyone! Okay, it's been almost a week since my last update and I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting. This chapter is over 8,000 words so I hope that it makes up for my long absence. I've been working ten to twelve hour days this last week, so, I've been stretched a little thin lately. I'm sorry I didn't respond to your guys' reviews this time around, but I PROMISE to respond if you leave a signed review for this chapter. However, thank you all SO much for reading and reviewing; you guys have no idea how good it makes me feel to know that you are enjoying my story. I can't believe I've already gotten three hundred reviews for this story, and I hope you guys keep them coming. :) I hope you like this chapter and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter Twenty-One**

Bella had left for the Cullens' house relatively early this morning so Alice could help her get ready for the day. Charlie, who looked rather spiffy in his tuxedo, had left with Bella's mom, Renee, and her step-dad, Phil, only a few minutes ago since I wasn't completely ready and Renee was anxious to see Bella. Renee was nice, if a bit flighty, and Phil was on the quiet side, so, I really didn't get a very good read on him. However, that didn't really matter since today was very likely the first and last time I would meet them. I sighed as I surveyed my reflection in the mirror after swiping on a bit of soft medium pink lipstick across my lips before I tucked my lipstick and compact into my purse for the day.

I had pulled my hair up and twisted it up into an elegant chignon with a few loosened curls that I had pinned with small round 'diamond' hair pins that sparkled in my dark hair. The dress, however, wasn't really something I would have bought for myself but Alice had been right. It did look really nice on my. It was a strapless Monique Lhuillier dress with a rouched crisscrossed sweetheart bodice that was well fitted to my torso and the full skirt practically floated over my hips and ended just at my knees. The soft lilac color of the chiffon dress was nice against my skin tone and coloring, and I definitely had to give Alice serious props. The vampire definitely knew what she was doing when it came to clothes.

I took a deep breath through my nose and turned away from my dresser, and walked over to my closet. My necklace was in place and even though Alice had _suggested_ that I not wear the bracelet Jacob gave me since it would clash with my dress, but I had opted out of taking her advice on that aspect. The bracelet remained around my wrist despite my desire to take it off the night before. Once I reached my closet, I squatted down and picked up the strappy three and a half inch high heels that Alice insisted I wear with the dress, meaning I would be towering over just about everyone at the wedding save for Emmett, Seth, and Jacob. I'd be pretty much even in height with Jasper and Edward, which wouldn't be so bad. I sighed quietly as I pulled on my shoes, fastening them into place, before I grabbed the silver clutch from my dresser and made my way out of my room, down the stairs, and out the front door.

I turned and locked the door behind me as I mentally worked through what I was going to say to Jacob when he showed up. However, as I turned around and walked down the porch steps I stopped short at the base of the stairs on the paved walkway. Standing beside the driver's side door was Jacob and while he looked amazing in the black slacks, white button up, and black sports jacket he looked like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was mused and under his eyes were faint dark circles. Obviously, he'd spent the night pacing outside the house like I thought he had been only to go home, shower, and get dressed that morning. He gave me a faint hopeful smile as he met my gaze across the small expanse of space between us, his eyes never wavering from mine.

"I thought I told Embry to tell you to meet me at the Cullen's place an hour before the wedding," I said as I started walking over to him and Jacob sighed as he took a few steps towards me, stopping as I reached the paved driveway.

"You did," he said slowly.

"Well, you're two hours early and my house certainly isn't the Cullen's place," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at him. Even in the high heels that made me stand six feet three inches tall, Jacob was still taller than me by at least four inches which was something that could only be said about NBA players.

"I know, but I didn't want to wait until then," he said.

"Or is it because you didn't want Edward or the others to overhear our conversation?" I asked and he closed his eyes as he sighed once more and lowered his head. After a beat he shook his head and returned his eyes to my face.

"It's not because of that," he said. "I really could care less if he or any of the other Cullens know my opinion on the whole thing." I looked away from him then as I uncrossed my arms, turning my head to the left to look at the grass that I suddenly realized needed mowing and made a mental note of it. "Aurora," he said quietly as he raised his right hand to the side of my face and turned my head so I was looking back up at him. "I'm sorry," he said as he gently ran his thumb along my jaw.

"Sure you are," I said as I pushed his hand away from my face.

"Damn it, Rory, I am," he said sharply and I rolled my eyes.

"I know you sent Embry into my room last night to try and butter me up for you, Jacob, but I'm still angry at you," I said and he took a slow breath through his nose, his broad shoulders rising before they fell as he let out a heavy sigh.

"Why?" he asked and I crossed my arms over my chest again as I glared at him.

"Don't be stupid, Jacob, because you're not. You know that what happens between Bella and Edward isn't any of our business. Why were you so upset last night? What does it matter to you that Bella and Edward are going to sleep together before he changes her?"

"I don't know," he said heavily as he looked away from me.

"I don't believe you," I said as I uncrossed my arms again and he was quick to turn his eyes back to me. "You _know_ why you reacted the way you did last night, but you're either too ashamed or too embarrassed to tell me. Is it because you care more about Bella than you've led to believe this whole time? Have you just been playing with me because of the whole imprinting thing? Using me as a way to get over her, but not really succeeding?"

"What?" he asked sharply, his body tensing and his forehead furrowing as he looked at me. His hands clenching into fists at his sides did not go unnoticed nor did the fact that his shoulders were trembling slightly. I may have crossed a line with my last few allegations, but I wasn't about to take them back. "Do you seriously think that?"

"What else am I supposed to think, Jacob?" I asked. He sighed heavily then before he ran his right hand through his hair, musing it even more than it already was. He shuffled his feet closer to me and raised both of his hands to my face, gently cupping my cheeks in his still slightly trembling hands.

"Aurora, I swear I don't care any more about Bella than I've told you," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. However, I shook my head as I wrapped my hands around his wrists and pulled his hands from my face. I made to let go, but Jacob was quick to grab hold of my hands, even taking my purse from my left hand and tossing it on the hood of my car. I let that slide though when I saw the pain in his eyes as he looked at me. For half a second I felt guilty for being as angry as I was, but it didn't last long and I managed to hold my ground.

"Then why would you react that way? It's something that shouldn't matter to you in the least bit, but apparently it does. Would you want Edward weighing in on our sex life and telling me that I was insane for wanting to sleep with you?" I asked.

"Of course not," he said with a frown, his grip tightening considerably on my hands. "Our relationship isn't any of his business."

"_Exactly_," I stressed giving him a pointed look. He looked away from me for a beat and I sighed quietly as I closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, meeting Jacob's concerned brown eyes with my tired blue. "Look, I know you hate Edward and that you're worried about Bella, but he won't hurt her, Jacob," I said and he sighed heavily yet again as he looked down at our joined hands that rested in the space between our bodies.

"You wouldn't understand," he said and I took another deep breath, readying myself for his response to what I was going to say next, completely unsure if I wanted an honest reaction out of him in the end.

"Try me," I said and he raised his eyes back to mine. "Help me understand, Jacob, because right now I'm angry and hurt that you reacted the way you did over something that you have no say over. You got angry _at me_ when I told you it wasn't any of our business. Why?"

"I wasn't angry at you, Aurora," he said quietly and I scoffed.

"You could have fooled me. You yelled at me, Jacob, for no reason whatsoever," I said and his hold on my hands tightened as he shuffled even closer to me.

"Look, Aurora, Edward is . . . strong," Jacob said slowly.

"I'm not stupid, Jacob, I know that," I said sharply, but he continued on as if I hadn't spoken.

"He can snap Bella in half by barely flicking his wrist if he wanted to. If he's not careful, he can hurt her bad; maybe even kill her." I knew then, looking at his face and hearing the tone and slight trembling inflection in his voice, that there was something else that was bothering him; something that he wasn't telling me. It didn't make any sense for him to act the way he was over Bella, so, there had to have been something else that was making him react that way, and I wanted to know what it was.

"Jacob?" I asked and he opened his eyes to look at me. "There's something more to this isn't there; something that you're not telling me?"

"Rory," he said quietly, but I interrupted because I knew that tone. It was his placating tone that he tried to use on me to calm me down and avoid answering me right away. He'd tried to use it more than once over the course of our relationship and he'd never gotten away with it before, and he wasn't about to get away with it now.

"Jacob, don't," I said. "Don't give me any excuses or dance around the truth behind it all. I want the actual truth, and isn't that something you always promised to tell me?" I asked, causing his eyes to flicker to the bracelet that remained on my wrist before his brown eyes returned to my blue. "Right now would be about time to tell me the truth, Jacob, especially if you want to set things right between us." He stared at me for several beats, the only sounds around us being a few chirping birds and the gentle breeze rustling the leaves on the trees that relatively warm morning. I didn't look away from his face and he didn't look away from mine, and finally after what seemed like forever Jacob took a deep breath and looked down at our hands.

"If I can leave bruises on you, Aurora, without realizing it, what's Edward going to do Bella?" he asked in a whisper before he slowly returned his gaze to mine. I was surprised to see tears actually lining his dark eyes as he looked at me, and for a moment I was stunned into silence.

Two weeks ago, when Charlie and Billy had gone on a weekend fishing trip with a couple of their buddies up the coast, Jacob and I had taken advantage of his empty house. It had been a while since we had had time _alone_ together and the first time we were together that night hadn't been exactly gentle and several other times of the weekend were repeats of the first. By Monday I had dark bruises on my hips and on the backs of my thighs. Bruises I didn't think that Jacob had seen because I hadn't even seen them until Monday morning and I was well covered by then. I hadn't even worn shorts of any kind at all until the bruises had faded away so he wouldn't see them.

However, that explained why Jacob hadn't wanted to do much more than make out or cuddle since that weekend. He'd seen the bruises and was now too afraid to do anything other than that. Sure, we'd made out hot and heavy lately and he was definitely extra cuddly but every time I tried to take it a step further he'd rebuff me with logical excuses that I didn't think twice about until now. Like Charlie would be home soon or his dad was coming in or something along those lines. He was afraid that he was going to hurt me again and I really wanted to knock some sense into him, but I didn't have a heavy blunt object handy at the moment.

"How-," I started, but didn't get to finish.

"I saw them when you were in the shower and getting ready for me to take you home before my dad and Charlie got back," he said as he let go of my hands and brought his hands to my upper waist before he pulled me to him. Automatically, my hands raised to rest on his chest while my eyes remained locked with his. "Why didn't you tell me that I hurt you?"

"Because I didn't feel them until Monday morning," I told him honestly as I looked back at him and he sighed quietly before he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. For a moment, I closed my eyes with him as I tried to wrap my head around what he had just told me and after a beat I pulled my head back to look at him. "So, all of this is because you're worried that if you could hurt me without realizing it that Edward could so worse to Bella," I said rather than asked. He nodded in response and I shook my head slightly. "That's something Bella's willing to risk, Jacob."

"It's not something she should have to risk," he said and I shook my head.

"Again, it's not your call to make," I said simply.

"I know," he said, "and I'm sorry I overreacted. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings last night, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I just . . . you don't even _want_ to know where my head went. It was hard enough to hide everything from the guys last night, and it had nothing to do with Bella. It was like . . . it was like I was projecting."

"Projecting?" I asked arching an eyebrow and he sighed as his grip tightened slightly on my waist. "I think you've been watching too much Dr. Phil if you're psychoanalyzing yourself." I was trying to lighten the serious mood between us and it seemed to work because I saw the corners of his lips turn up slightly.

"I'm serious, Rory," he said quietly, the slight smile leaving his face as he looked at me. "For the last two weeks I've been worried that I was going to go too far with you again and hurt you or . . .do something even worse, and last night I put Bella into my worst nightmares as a way to let out what was bothering me."

"Yeah, definitely too much Dr. Phil," I said and Jacob scoffed as he shook his head as he gave me a pointed look. My anger at Jacob had dissipated now that I knew the real reason behind his overreaction last night and the reason for him being slightly distant with me lately. Everything last night had nothing to do with Bella and everything to do with me, and as ridiculous as it was I understood. "You shouldn't have put your concerns about me onto Bella, Jacob, it just made me think . . . well, it made me think that there was something more to your feelings for Bella."

"There isn't," he said firmly, his grip solid on my waist, and his eyes full of nothing but sincerity as he looked at me.

"I know," I said, "but you should have just talked to me about it. It would have saved us from this mess."

"I was too angry at myself," he said as he shook his head.

"Jacob, it wasn't that big of a deal," I said and he frowned. "They were just bruises, and trust me when I got them I was feeling _no_ pain, and they barely even hurt afterwards."

"I could have-," he started, but I didn't let him finish. I moved my hands up to his neck and pulled his lips to mine, silencing whatever he had been about to say.

"I liked it when you were a little rough with me, Jacob," I whispered against his lips, my eyes still closed, before I kissed him briefly and then pulled back with a small grin. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I chuckled. "I guess I've got a little bit of a kinky side because to me those bruises were totally worth it," I said as I slid my right hand up into the back of his hair. Jacob actually shivered as he let out a shuddered breath and for a brief second I saw lust flash in his dark eyes. However, he closed his eyes tightly, shook his head rather violently, and opened his eyes to look at me with a serious expression on his face.

"Aurora, I could really hurt you if I'm not careful," he said and I shook my head slightly.

"But you won't. I know you won't," I said quietly as I slid my hand from his hair to cup the left side of his face. "No matter what you say to me, Jacob, you'll never get me to believe otherwise because I love you and I trust you."

"So, I haven't screwed this all up?" he asked and I laughed as I ran my thumb along his jaw.

"You came close, too close," I said, "but you've managed to redeem yourself at the moment. However, you're not getting off that easy."

"No?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No, but I'm not sure what you'll have to do to make it up to me," I said. "I'll think of something though."

"Works for me," he breathed out as relief washed over his face before he wrapped his arms completely around me and pulled my body flush against his. He swooped in, kissing me soundly as his right hand slid up my back and took hold of the back of my neck as he kissed me. Slowly, the kiss came to end and I smiled softly as I looked at him. He smiled back before he loosened his hold on me and I laughed quietly as I rubbed my right thumb over his lips and shook my head.

"Pink really isn't your color," I said with a light laugh and Jacob smiled as he allowed me to continue wiping my lipstick from his mouth. "Since I have to fix my makeup, do you want to drive us to the Cullen's place?" I asked as I stepped out of his hold and over to the hood of my car where my purse rested. I had slipped my keys into the purse as I walked and I quickly pulled them out of my bag before I turned back around and looked at Jacob.

"Sure," he said as he took the keys from my hand. However, before I could lower my hand and walk around the front of the car, Jacob was quick to grab hold of my hand and pull me up against him once more. "You look absolutely beautiful, Rory," he whispered as his dark eyes held my blue, and I felt my cheeks warm slightly in a soft blush.

"Thank you," I breathed before he caught my lips in a tender kiss that lasted far too short in my opinion.

"Don't think you're leaving my side at all today," he said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Do you think one of the Cullens or a member of their vegetarian family from Alaska is going to attack or something?" I asked and he grinned as he shook his head.

"No," he said slowly, "I'm worried about some poor sap thinking he's got a chance with you and making a move. You know violence will likely ensue if that happens."

"Jacob," I chided my blush deepening all the more as I looked up at him and his smiling face. He still looked tired, but at least he no longer looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I'll probably be towering over every other guy but Seth and you at the wedding. No guy is going to make a move on me."

"You're sexy as hell, Rory," he said and I was certain my face was on fire.

"To you," I reasoned and he scoffed.

"If you only knew," he breathed before he kissed me once more and I was suddenly reminded of Edward's plea from the evening before.

"Well," I said quietly when he pulled away before I licked my lips and looked up at him, "please try not to think too much about what you want to do to me later, okay?" I asked and Jacob raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. "Edward said you think loud and he doesn't really want to have the images you whip up in his head on his wedding day." He grinned once more and shook his head as he finally let go of me and I took a step back from him to prevent myself from launching myself at him.

"No promises," he said, his dark eyes serious and I swear I melted a little bit because my skin, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, flamed up like a roaring fire.

* * *

During the ceremony I had sat in the back with Billy, Jacob, Seth, and Sue (who insisted that she sit there with us rather than up front beside Charlie). Alice had really out done herself with everything and it had been a truly beautiful ceremony, all of which I had sat tucked into Jacob's side since he had stayed true to his word. His arm had been securely around me practically from the moment we climbed out of the car, and I really wasn't about to complain in the least bit. It felt nice to have everything behind us and moving forward once again.

"There you are," Charlie said as he walked up to Sue, Charlie, Seth, Jacob, and I. I looked at him with a smile as Jacob finally let his arm fall from around my waist, but he was quick to take my left hand into his right. "I was starting to think all of you took off."

"And miss a great party with free food?" Billy asked from where he sat in his wheelchair. "Never," he said with a dramatic shake of his head and all of us, including Charlie, laughed.

"Looks like Edward and Bella are finally free," Seth said suddenly. "Want to go over and give them our congratulations?"

"Sure," I said, answering for everyone, and Charlie got behind Billy's chair before he started to push Billy towards the smiling and deliriously happy couple with Seth leading the way. Sue walked alongside Charlie and Jacob and I took up the rear of our group, and I could feel eyes on me as I walked along, but at the moment I wasn't brave enough to look around to figure out who was staring at me. Slightly uncomfortable with the attention, I shifted a little closer to Jacob and I heard him chuckle quietly before he pressed a kiss to my left temple.

"Told you," he whispered in my ear before he pulled back and I turned my head to look at him curiously, which earned me a smile.

"Told me what?" I asked in a whisper.

"A couple of Bella's friends, _guy_ friends, are staring at you with their mouths dropped open," he said and I felt my cheeks warm a bit as I looked away from him, earning a chuckle from my boyfriend. "I'm thinking about going over there and _talk_ to them about how rude it is to stare."

"Heel, boy," I whispered teasingly at him earning a scoffed laugh from him upon reaching Edward and Bella.

"Hey, man," Seth said as he walked over to them and smacked Edward's hand, "nice to see you. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you," Edward said as he smiled brightly and kindly at Seth. He truly liked Seth as much as Seth liked him, and it was nice change to the hate/hate relationship between the rest of the shifters and the Cullens.

"Hey guys," I said as I freed myself from Jacob's side and walked over to the couple. Bella smiled and looked up at me with a raised eyebrow before she looked down at my feet. "I know. I'm a giant. Blame Alice because according to her it would be against all the laws of fashion for me to wear flats with this dress." Bella laughed quietly at me and shook her head before I leaned down slightly and hugged her. She hugged me back, glancing around my arm at Jacob before looking back at me.

"All good?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile. "All good." She gave me another smile and nodded her head before I looked at Edward. "Congratulations," I said before I hugged him and I could hear Jacob's quiet unhappy growl at the action, but I really didn't care right then.

"Thank you, Aurora," Edward said softly as I squeezed my arms around his stone like shoulders as hard as I could before I pulled back and smiled at him. Now our eyes were actually even and I swear I had never seen the vampire look so happy before; it was nice to see the guy smile for a change. Edward was far too brooding most of the time for my liking, and I liked seeing this new side of Edward. I stepped back from him only to have Jacob wrap his arm around me and pull me back to his side and where he stood to Charlie's left. Edward grinned at me and shook his head slightly before Billy spoke.

"I hope you'll be happy, Bella," he said sincerely.

"Thank you, Billy," she said.

"Congratulations you guys," Jacob said as he looked between Bella and Edward, and to say I was surprised by the small smile on his face as he looked at the couple would have been an understatement. However, I didn't let it show.

"Thanks, Jake," Bella said softly as she smiled at him and leaned into Edward's side a little more.

"Thank you, Jacob," Edward also said and Jacob nodded his head as he adjusted his hand that was resting firmly on my left hip.

"Well, I plan on getting drunk," Charlie said as he loosened the cuffs of his sleeves and all of us laughed while I shook my head.

"Does that mean I'll have to drive you home at the end of the night, Charlie?" I asked earning a grin and a wink from the man.

"Probably," he said and I laughed lightly before he looked at Sue and Billy. "They're serving up some pretty fancy champagne. Sue, can I get you glass?" Charlie asked and Billy turned around quickly in his wheelchair, nicking Charlie's shins in the process.

"Sparkling fire water!" he declared quietly making me smile. "Sounds great." He started to wheel himself away, but Seth was quick to move up behind him and push him away. Jacob and I started to follow behind Sue and Charlie, but Edward stopped me.

"Aurora," Edward said and I turned back around to look at him. "I would like to introduce you to my cousins," he said and I smiled at him. I had wanted to meet the other members of Edward's 'family' before the wedding, but between Jacob, an overly excited Renee, and a nervous as hell Charlie, I hadn't had a chance. I looked up at Jacob and he did not look happy as he glared at Edward.

"Jacob?" I asked and he looked down at me. "Would you get me a glass of water and wait for me with Seth and the others? I'll only be a few minutes."

"Rory," he started quietly, but I interrupted him by kissing him briefly.

"Thanks," I said as I slipped away from him and he sighed heavily before he practically stomped over to the refreshment table where Sue, Charlie, Seth, and Billy already were. I turned back around to join Edward and Bella when an extremely beautiful woman with long black hair was kissing both of Bella's cheeks in greeting.

"Congratulations, Edward," the tall man that was with her said as the two men 'man hugged' before the woman pulled away from Bella and took hold of the man's hand. There were also two stunningly beautiful blonde women with them. Between the three women and Rosalie I was likely to get a complex, and it was easy to see (at least to me) that they were vampires.

"These are our cousins from Alaska; Eleazar, Carmen, Tanya, and Kate," Edward said introducing the beautiful vampires to us.

"We've heard so much about you," Kate said as she looked at Bella.

"Welcome to the family," Eleazar said as he too looked at Bella.

"Bienvendia," Carmen said.

"Thanks," Bella said as she smiled at them.

"This is Bella's cousin, Aurora," Edward said as he gestured towards me and I smiled at all four of them as I laced my fingers together in front of me as they looked at me with kind smiles on their faces. I knew then that I had been talked about, probably because the Cullens had been forced to let me on their secret.

"Hi," I said lightly. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"You as well, Aurora," Tanya said kindly while Carmen turned to the left and it was then that I saw another statuesque blonde standing not far off from us. However, her pain filled eyes were focused to my right and I followed her gaze only to have my eyes land on Jacob and Seth. Seth looked uncomfortable as he glanced at the blonde while Jacob stood tall, an impassive look on his face while his eyes moved between the blonde and me.

"Irina," Carmen said and I looked at the black haired vampire. "Come meet Bella and Aurora." She slowly walked over to us and if vampires could cry, I was certain she would be.

"I can't do this," she said quietly as Carmen put a gentle hand on Irina's upper right arm.

"You promised," Tanya said softly as she looked at her sister.

"They invited _two of them_," she said, her eyes going back to Seth and Jacob. Tanya and the others followed her gaze and my entire body stiffened as I unlaced my hands and let them fall at my sides. I glanced at Edward and he sighed quietly as he shifted his hold on Bella.

"Irina, they're our friends," Edward said and Irina looked at him.

"They killed Laurent," she said and I had no clue who Laurent was because aside from Victoria, Riley, and the newborn vampires I wasn't aware of Jacob and Seth killing any other vampires.

"He tried to kill Bella," Edward said and I was pretty sure my eyebrows disappeared up into my hair.

"I don't believe that," Irina said quickly as she took a step in front of Edward. My instincts told me to step in, to try and defuse any fight that might break out, but then I remembered that the tall blonde was a vampire and thought better of it. "He wanted to be like us; to live in peace with humans; with me." I understood what was going on then and for a moment, I felt really bad for Irina.

"I'm sorry," Edward said as he looked at her and Irina shook her head before she turned around and left.

"Irina," Carmen called quietly, but Irina kept walking.

"Well," Eleazar said quietly, "let's not monopolize the bride. Congratulations, and it was lovely to meet you, Aurora."

"Likewise," I said gently as my blue eyes met his gold.

"We're sorry," Tanya said quietly before she took Kate's hand and the four of them left walked away.

"Do I want to know?" I asked as I looked at Edward and Bella and Bella gave me an awkward smile while Edward grinned.

"I know you do, but it's probably a story that's better to be told at another time," he said and I nodded.

"Gotcha," I said earning more smiles from the couple. "Well, I'll let you two mingle. I'll just be over there," I said as I gestured towards Jacob and Edward nodded.

"Thank you, Aurora," he said and even though I didn't know what he was thanking me for, I nodded my head before I turned away and started to walk towards Jacob. However, I only took about five steps before Bella's friends, Jessica, Angela, Eric, and Mike cut me off.

"Hey, Aurora, you look amazing," Jessica said as she looked up at me and I smiled at her as I smoothed out the skirt of my dress.

"Thanks, Jessica. You guys look great too. I'm so glad you were able to make it. I know it means a lot to Bella and Edward," I said lightly. "So, what do you guys think of everything? Alice did an amazing job right?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful," Angela said sincerely. We all chatted for maybe a minute before I felt a warm hand splayed out against my lower back. I didn't jump in surprise because the touch was very familiar, and I turned my eyes to my right before I smiled up at Jacob.

"I hate to interrupt," he said as he looked at the others, but I knew he was all too happy to interrupt, and in all honesty so was I, "but my dad's asking for you," he finished as he looked at me.

"Oh," I said before I looked Mike, Jessica, Eric, and Angela. "We'll talk more later, okay?" I asked and Angela and Jessica smiled as they nodded.

"Sure," they harmonized and I waved at them before Jacob started walking me over to where Billy, Seth, Sue, and Charlie were still congregating. His arm had moved to wrap around me and he once again had a tight grip on my hip as we walked.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to stay back while you talked to those vamps?" Jacob asked in a whisper.

"Yes, and I'm proud of you for staying put," I said as I looked at him. He was still looking ahead and I took the opportunity to kiss his jaw. He sighed quietly as he looked at me and I gave him a small smile. He scoffed a laugh before he smiled at me in return and kissed my temple just as we reached the others. "Okay there Seth?" I asked him quietly and he gave me a tight lipped smile as he nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said and I raised my left hand to pat his shoulder before I looked up at Jacob.

"So, where's my water?" I asked, earning laughs from the others while Jacob rolled his eyes and lowered his arm from around me before he headed over to the refreshment table.

* * *

I swear it had been a good long while since I laughed as hard as I had laughed during the various speeches given as dinner ended. Charlie's was by far my favorite and Jessica's slight meltdown was also pretty comical, but it was Edward as he stood before the microphone on the small stage that had been built for tonight that had brought everyone gathered in the Cullens' backyard to complete silence.

"It's an extraordinary thing, to meet someone you who you can bare your soul to and who will accept you for what you are," Edward said and I felt Jacob's right arm raise from the back of my chair to wrap around my shoulders as he pulled me a little closer to him. I leaned into his side, my right hand rising to rest on his chest, while my eyes remained focused on Edward. "I've been waiting, what seems like a very long time, to get beyond what I am; and with Bella I feel like I can finally begin." His eyes never left his bride as he spoke, but after a slight pause he looked around and smiled as he raised the glass in his hand. "So, I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride," he said before his eyes returned to Bella. "No measure of time with you, will be long enough, but let's start with forever." Everyone clinked their glasses and cheered as I felt Jacob press a kiss to the top of my head.

"Edward and I actually agree on something," he whispered and I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at him, a small smile on my face.

"What's that?" I asked and he grinned.

"Time," he said quietly, "there'll never be enough of it for me to spend with you."

"Don't think that if you're all sweet and romantic tonight that you're still out of trouble, mister," I said. "I'm not completely soft when it comes to you, you know."

"Oh I know," he said quietly before he raised his left hand to my chin and tilted my head up a bit so he could kiss me. I kissed him back, completely forgetting that Billy, Seth, and Sue were sitting at the table with us; and about fifty plus surrounded us at the other tables Alice had set up. When my hand gripped on to the front of his button up and I turned so that even more of my body was pressed up against his, a throat awkwardly clearly broke us apart and I pulled back from Jacob only to look at a grinning Billy. I blushed deeply as I pulled back from Jacob and sat fully in my chair.

"Sorry," I said and Billy, Sue, and even Seth started laughing before Seth stood and walked around the table.

"Come on Aurora," he said as he grabbed my hands and pulled me from my chair and out of Jacob's grip with ease. It was then that I noticed that music was playing from somewhere and the built dance floor was fully of people dancing. Just how long had Jacob and I kissed? My confusion, however, didn't last long when Seth turned my hand and spun me around in a circle before the two of started dancing to the upbeat tempo of the son.

I laughed as I rested my left hand on his shoulder and Seth put his hand on my waist as he griped my right hand in his left and led me around the dance floor. Seth wasn't that bad of a dancer, but he acquiesced the leading to me since (and in his words not mine) I knew what I was doing. We moved around the floor with ease, but a heavy hand settling on Seth's shoulder brought our dancing to an end.

"Jake, come on," Seth whined a bit, but he was only doing it to tease Jacob because a smile was tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Sorry, pup, but I want to dance with _my _girlfriend," Jacob said as he patted Seth's shoulder and Seth sighed before he let me go only to wink at me as he walked away. I laughed but soon found myself swooped up into Jacob's arms. "So you _can_ dance," he stated simply and I rolled my eyes.

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" I asked and Jacob grinned.

"Yes, but I've never had visual proof. Stuff is always coming up when you've been about to show me," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Or you couldn't keep your hands to yourself long enough for me to," I said and his grin turned into a smile.

"There is that," he said and I laughed before he spun me out and brought me back to him with ease. "How's your feet?" he asked and I smiled. He had heard me when I had mumbled to myself at the table that I should have brought a pair of flats to change in to during the reception.

"Fine," I said, "but I think I could use a foot massage when I get home. You do have some groveling to do after all," I finished with a smile and Jacob chuckled.

"It's only fair right?" he asked and I nodded my head as the perfect song for a jazz routine I had learned at my old studio started blasting out of the speakers. The music was fast and the base pumping and it was high time for me to show Jacob just what I could do. I pulled away from him and he frowned slightly as he looked at me and then raised an eyebrow as I stepped out of my shoes and handed them to him. He took them and looked down at them before he looked at me.

"Watch," I said before I stepped back and broke out into the routine, praying that my hair would hold and that I wouldn't inadvertently flash my underwear during the various kicks and spins that were laced throughout the routine.

As I spun, shimmied, twirled, and leapt around Jacob a crowd (including Edward, Bella, and everyone else I knew at the wedding) had gathered. However, I didn't care. I wasn't dancing for any of them. I was dancing for Jacob and every time I looked at his face as I danced around him, a small thrill shot through me. His initial surprise and shock had melted into amazement before he looked impressed and proud. As the song and my routine concluded I could easily see both the love and lust in his eyes as I came to rest directly in front of him my heaving chest brushing against his hands, which were still holding on to my shoes. I could feel a bit of sweat on my forehead and along my throat but I didn't care. I just smiled at him as the crowd that had gathered broke out into cheers.

"That . . . that . . .," he said, unable to complete his sentence and I laughed.

"I told you I could dance," I said breathlessly and he leaned into me before he kissed me chastely.

"You're incredible," he whispered and I laughed once more as I took my shoes from his hands.

"Thanks," I said quietly before I felt a cool hand on my upper back.

"That was amazing," Edward said and I smiled at him.

"Thank you," I said as I looked between him and Bella, who was smiling as she looked at me.

"I should have had you teach me a few moves for today, Aurora," she said and I laughed as I slipped my feet back into the shoes that I now hated despite how pretty they were. They pinched my toes together and weren't exactly comfortable after ten hours of wear.

"I thought about that actually, but you were having a hard enough time trying to learn how to walk in the high heels Alice forced you to wear," I said. "I didn't want to add to the burden." She laughed then and shook her head before she looked up at Jacob, whose eyes I knew had yet to leave me since they joined us. I knew she wanted to dance with Jacob, and I was surprisingly okay with it. She had resolved her feelings for Jacob, and saw him as nothing more than a good friend, brother even, and letting her dance with him could be part of my gift to her. "Bella, do you mind if I still your husband for a spin around the dance floor?" I asked. "I'm sure Jacob wouldn't mind dancing with you, right?" I asked as I looked at him and Jacob blinked in mild confusion.

"Huh?" he asked, earning a laugh from all of us.

"I'm going to dance with Edward while you dance with Bella, okay," I said more than asked and Jacob sighed before he nodded.

"Sure," he said before he turned slightly and looked down at Bella with a small smile on his face. He held out his hand to her and she put her hand in his before the pair started moving to the music. Edward's pale hand was suddenly in front of me, and I smiled as I put my right hand in his left before Edward put his right hand on my upper waist while my left found its way to his shoulder, and the two of moved across the floor in small circles.

"I've seen you dance before, but you had a little more fire in you than usual tonight," Edward said with a smile and I grinned as I looked at him.

"Well, I was actually dancing _for_ someone tonight, Edward," I said and he nodded his head.

"He was impressed," Edward said and my grin turned into a smile.

"I know," I said lightly and Edward chuckled before he spun me out and then brought me back into his arms with another light laugh. "It makes me happy to see you so happy, Edward, and I know that's just what your eternity with Bella is going to be. It almost makes me wish I had eternity with Jacob instead of the sixty or so more years that I do."

"Those sixty or so years will be happy ones, Aurora," Edward said reassuringly and I nodded my head as a small smile made its way across my lips.

"I know," I said once more. "You'll visit right? I mean, we're family. You guys aren't just going to disappear on me are you?"

"We'll see each other, Aurora," Edward quietly. "We'll keep in touch, and once Bella's accustomed to her new life and able to control her thirst we can meet up somewhere. I don't know if it'll be in Forks, but somewhere close by so you and Jacob won't have far to travel."

"Promise?" I asked as I looked up at him and he furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at me. _"You, Emmett, and even Jasper have sort of become like the big brothers I never knew I wanted, Edward, and Alice and Rosalie are as good as my sisters now. Bella is my cousin after all and I'm never going to find a doctor as good as Carlisle. Plus, Esme reminds me so much of my mom. Promise me you guys won't disappear." _ I thought and his face softened as he looked at me.

"I promise."


	22. Chapter 22

****Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter. Sorry this one is a little late! I had wanted to post it on Saturday or Sunday, but I didn't finish it until late last night, so, I'm using my lunch break at work to post it. :) I hope you all like this one and as a warning there is a lemon in this chapter! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Charlie didn't get as drunk as he had originally said, but I did end up driving him home just to be safe since he had had quite a few glasses of champagne. Jacob had drove the cruiser home for Charlie since apparently he had drove his bike to the house this morning and I had been so surprised to see him there that I hadn't even noticed it. However, after parking my car in the driveway and climbing out of the car I saw it parked on the curb right in front of the house.

"Thanks Jake," Charlie said and I closed the driver's side door as Charlie closed the passenger side and took his keys from Jacob's hand. The lone street light that rested on the road in front of the house allowed me to see Jacob and Charlie relatively clearly as they stood in the driveway. Jacob had taken his sports coat off and it was currently resting over his left forearm and he smiled at Charlie as he nodded his head.

"No problem, Charlie," Jacob said and Charlie patted Jacob's shoulder before he sighed heavily as he walked around the front of my car. He paused when he reached me and gave me a tight lipped smile before he put his hand on my upper right arm.

"Don't stay outside too long," he said. "It's late."

"I won't, Charlie," I assured him with a small smile. "I'll just say good-bye to Jacob and then I'll be right in." He nodded his head as he moved closer to me and pressed a kiss to my forehead before he pulled away from me, walked up the walkway, and into the house after he had unlocked the door. Jacob slowly made his way over to me and my smile grew as I looked at him. "Let me guess," I said quietly as he reached out with his right hand and took hold of my waist before he pulled me close to him, "you'll hide your bike somewhere and see me again in like five minutes?" I asked and Jacob laughed quietly.

"Pretty much," he said lightly. "I owe you that foot massage after all."

"That you do," I said with a smile as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and wrapped my left hand around my right wrist just below his neck since my purse was in my right hand. He smiled at me before he leaned in to me and kissed me, his lips slowly moving against mine as I pressed my body flush against his. His left hand settled on my hip while his right hand slid up my back to rest on the back of my neck as he deepened the kiss. However, I slowly started to pull away and he groaned in slight protest while I smiled at him. "I need to go inside," I said and he sighed quietly as he nodded.

"All right," he said before he reluctantly let me go and I stepped back from him, smoothing my left hand over the front of my dress as I did so.

"Cheer up, Jacob, it's not like you won't see me again in a few minutes," I said quietly and Jacob grinned. "Good night," I said with a light laugh before I turned from him and walked up the walkway of the house and inside.

As I locked the door, I heard Jacob's bike start up and him 'drive away,' and I smiled to myself as I made my way further into the house; taking my high heels off as I went. Charlie was sitting on the sofa in the living room with the light that was beside the sofa on and a rather sad look on his face, and I didn't need Edward's talent to know that he was already missing Bella. I sat my shoes and my purse on the bottom stair before I made my way into the living room and sat down on the sofa beside him, tucking my legs under me as I did so, and Charlie looked at me.

"She's not gone for forever, you know," I said, even though I wasn't really sure if Bella ever planned on seeing Charlie in person ever again.

"I know," he said heavily.

"And it's not like you're _completely_ alone, Charlie," I said before I put my left hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "You've got me, and Sue, and Seth, and Leah when she's not being bi-crabby," I said, quickly amending myself and making Charlie chuckle and me smile at the sound. "And you've got Billy and Jacob too," I added as I patted my hand against his shoulder and the smile that was on Charlie's face turned sad as he reached up with his right hand and took my hand off his shoulder before he held my hand at his chest level, his eyes on our hands.

"Sue told me the meaning behind this," Charlie said as he touched the bracelet that rested around my wrist and I felt my cheeks warm at his words and as he turned his brown eyes to my blue.

"She did?" I asked quietly and Charlie nodded.

"I asked her about it because you told me it was something that Jacob had made for you, and she put it pretty simply for me by telling me that it's like a promise ring," he said.

"It is," I said.

"Which means that you and Jacob are a little more serious than I thought," he said.

"Yes, but Charlie I meant what I said to you before and I plan on keeping the promise I made to you last month. I want to go to college, and as you said, live a little before I get married and start a family," I said and Charlie squeezed my hand as he smiled at me.

"Jacob know that?" he asked and I chuckled as I shrugged.

"Jacob and I really haven't talked about what the future holds for us," I said, being very careful and selective of my words. While I knew that I was definitely going to marry Jacob someday, it wasn't really something I could tell Charlie just then.

"I saw the two of you together tonight, Aurora," he said as he gave my hand one more squeeze before he let go of it and my left hand joined my right in my lap. "Jacob looks at you the way Edward looks at Bella, and I know it'll only be a matter of time before you're coming to me and telling me the two of you are getting married."

"Well, if that happens, it won't happen any time soon, Charlie," I said, doing my best to ignore the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach as I smiled at him.

"Good because you're too young to be thinking about stuff like that. You should wait until you're like thirty or something," he said and I laughed, which made him smile. "Are you excited for your friends coming up from San Diego?" he asked, thankfully changing the subject because I wasn't sure my spinning stomach could take much more of 'future talk' with Charlie and I smiled as I nodded my head.

"Very," I said. "It feels like I haven't seen Gina and Melody in years when it's only been a few months."

"I'm glad they were able to come and spend some time with you," he said.

"Me too," I said. "I know you'll like Melody right away, but Gina . . . she takes a little getting used to. She's kinda crazy but she means well."

"If she's you're friend, Aurora, I'm sure she's not all bad," he said and I smiled at him before I patted his shoulder once more.

"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed," I said as I climbed from the sofa, fixing my skirt as I did so. "Get some sleep, old man, you look like you need it," I said and he chuckled as he nodded his head. "Good night, Charlie," I said and he smiled up at me.

"Night," he said back quietly before I walked over to the stairs, paused to grab my shoes and my purse, and headed upstairs. I quickly went into my room, tossed my shoes on the floor in front of my closet and my purse on my dresser, before I dashed over to the window and opened it. I had no more stepped back when Jacob was swinging his way inside.

"What took you so long?" he asked as he sat his jacket down on the back of my desk chair and was quickly to wrap his hands around my waist.

"Sorry," I said as my hands found their way to his broad shoulders. "Charlie looked a little down so we chatted for a bit." Jacob nodded then before he leaned in and kissed me, and I smiled into the kiss as my right hand slid into his hair. Since our little talk this morning and all throughout the wedding, Jacob had been taking every opportunity he had to kiss me, or touch me in some form or fashion, and I certainly didn't mind. I felt his hand move to the zipper of my dress and my heart started racing as I felt him start to slide the zipper down my back. However, I had told Charlie I was going to take a shower and if I didn't head in there soon, it would seem a little odd.

"What now?" Jacob asked in a whisper with a grin on his lips after I reluctantly pulled away and I laughed quietly as I smiled at him.

"Do you think you would mind holding that thought for, say, fifteen minutes? I told Charlie I was going to take a shower, and I feel a little grimy from dancing all night," I said and he sighed as he let his hands fall away from my sides.

"Fine," he said dryly as he stepped out of his shoes and walked around me to flop back on my bed. I looked at him after I gathered my pajamas and fresh underwear, leaving my zipper pulled down seeing as it would be easier for me to finish unzipping it in the bathroom.

Once I had everything I needed and had taken off my bracelet and necklace, leaving both on my dresser, I paused at the foot of my bed and Jacob propped himself up on his elbows so he could easily look at me. He smiled at me and I smiled back before I walked around the footboard of my bed, sat my stuff down on the corner of the mattress, and climbed up on top of him so I was straddling his lap. He sat up fully then, both eyebrows raised as his hands found my hips while I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him. His fingers gripped onto my hips while our lips battled together for several long beats before I slowly pulled my mouth from his and pressed my forehead against his.

"Not that I'm complaining," he said, sounding just as breathless as I felt, "but what was that for?" he asked and I laughed lightly before I lifted my forehead from his and met his heavy lidded gaze.

"That was just my way of promising that when I get back we'll pick up right where we left off," I said quietly and his thumbs rubbed small circles on my hip bones. "We've only got tonight and tomorrow night to satisfy your debt because Gina and Melody get here the day after tomorrow, and a foot massage just isn't going to cut it." His eyebrows rose again as he fought back a smile, but failed miserably in his attempt because the corners of his lips were turned upwards as he spoke.

"You seriously want to make love with Charlie just downstairs?" he asked and I grinned.

"You started it by starting to unzip my dress," I said before I leaned into him and kissed away the smile on his lips, "and I can be quiet," I whispered against his mouth before I pulled back slightly and met his gaze. His eyes flamed as his grip on my hips tightened before he kissed me. Hard. I whimpered into the kiss as he pulled my hips flush against his and my right hand made its way into his hair once again before Jacob slowly ended the kiss.

"You sure about that?" he asked breathily, his mouth moving against mine as he held me firmly in place.

"No, but I can try," I said and he chuckled before he kissed me once more.

"Go shower," he said after he pulled back and I smiled at him.

"I don't want to now," I said, "and wouldn't our after shower plans completely deplete the purpose of me having a shower?" He grinned at me before he kissed me once more and his hands left my hips as he leaned back, holding himself up with his hands on my bed behind him as he looked at me.

"Maybe, but you smell like vamp from the dances you had with Edward and Emmett," he said, a small scowl marring his face at his words, and I laughed softly once more before I ran my hands across his chest and grinned.

"You sound almost jealous," I said teasingly and knowing full well that Jacob was not jealous of Edward or Emmett, but that he just simply didn't like either of them because they were vampires.

"Trust me, I'm not jealous," he said with a grin and I smiled as I raised my eyebrows and looked at him skeptically.

"Whatever you say, Jacob," I said lightly before I climbed off his lap and grabbed my clothes from the foot of my bed. I started to walk towards the door, but Jacob's voice stopped me.

"Do I have something to be jealous of, Rory?" he asked and I turned around on the balls of my feet to look at him. He was looking at me with an arched eyebrow and an expectant look on his face; and I grinned. Jacob was too easy to rile up sometimes, and I was in a rather playful mood at the moment so I was totally up for having fun with my slightly possessive and overprotective shape-shifter boyfriend. He would, undoubtedly, take what I was about to say the wrong way, but that was where the fun would come in. Possessive Jacob was always quick to remind me who I 'belonged' to, and since I was no longer in a hurry to take a shower I thought it was as good of a time as any to have Possessive Jacob make an appearance.

"Not with Emmett or Edward of course, but Seth was giving you a run for your money on the dance floor tonight," I said through my grin before I turned on the balls of my feet and continued on towards the door. I had barely taken a step before I felt Jacob's hot hands on my waist. He spun me around so fast that I actually dropped the clothes I was carrying on to the floor before my hands landed on his broad chest, and my stomach lurched as my heart started racing when I saw the look on his face. However, before I could say anything Jacob let out a soft growl before his mouth was on mine and my body was pressed flush to his.

My arms wrapped around his shoulders as I kissed him back and I felt his hot hands make their way down my body as he bent me backwards a bit before he lifted me from the floor by grasping the back of my thighs. A beat later I was lying back on my bed with Jacob hovering above me and the skirt of my dress pooling around my waist as my legs fell on the bed and Jacob's hips rolled into mine. I whimpered quietly as his lips left mine and started trailing down my exposed neck and I gasped softly as his teeth nipped at the juncture of my neck and shoulder.

"What about Charlie?" I asked breathlessly. I wasn't really sure why I even asked that, but the question was out and I could feel Jacob's smile against my skin.

"He's asleep," he mumbled and I smiled in return before I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him even closer to me. He started to pull at my dress then and I was suddenly worried that he would tear the beautiful dress.

"Please don't tear my dress, Jacob," I breathed out as Jacob's lips continued their assault against my skin. He bit my skin a little harder and I bit my lip to hold back the moan that threatened to pour out of me as I arched my back into him. The movement allowed him to slip his hand underneath my back and I felt my dress loosen even more before Jacob pulled away from me, causing my legs to fall back on the bed. A chill ran across my body and goose bumps raced across my skin as Jacob pulled my dress off of me. He tossed it on to the floor before his hands slid up my legs, parting them once again as he made his way back up my body.

"No bra, Rory?" he asked with a smile as he hovered above me and my nipples rose to attention. He wasn't even touching me at that moment, his hands were on either side of my arms as he looked down at me, but as always my body was quick to react to just about anything Jacob related.

"I didn't need one," I said in a whisper as I looked up at him. The dress had built in cups and had been tight enough that I hadn't required a bra, and in all honesty I was surprised he hadn't noticed that when he had first started to unzip my dress. His smile grew as his right hand left the bed beside me and made its way across my body. "Don't you think you're wearing too many clothes right now?" I asked as I arched into his touch and he chuckled as his lips brushed over mine before he kissed his way along my jaw.

"For the moment, no," he whispered against my skin before his mouth once again moved down to my neck. I bit my lip once again as his right hand pulled at my left nipple and his kisses slid across the top of my chest before he focused his attention on my breasts, taking my right breast into his mouth.

I was pretty sure I was going to bite my lip so hard that I would draw blood as my right hand laced into Jacob's hair before my left soon joined it as I squirmed beneath him. It felt like it had been _forever_ since Jacob and I had made love rather than just the two weeks that it had been, and my body was very quick to respond to Jacob's ministrations. I was already ready for him, but knowing Jacob he was going to take his time and while I knew it was going to be beyond enjoyable it was also going to be torturous until he was inside of me.

He started to make his way down my body, his insanely warm lips practically caressing their way down my stomach and leaving a fiery trail in their wake. With very little help from me, Jacob removed my underwear from my body. His hands slid up my shins before he gripped my knees and parted my legs, leaving me exposed and open to him as his right hand slid along my inner thigh while his left moved to my outer thigh before he gripped my leg at the juncture of my hip and leg. I sat up slightly on my elbows and Jacob grinned at me as his fingers gently brushed across my lower lips, eliciting a gasp from me, before he looked away from my face and moved in. I bit my lip again to hold back a loud moan as I fell back on to the bed, my right hand once again finding its way into Jacob's hair while my left gripped the blankets underneath my body.

Not too long after Jacob's attention returned to my body, I was a quivering mess underneath him and I had just managed to hold back a pleasure filled scream. During Jacob's _attention_ I had indeed drawn blood on my lower lip, which made Jacob frown slightly as he made his way back up my body. It wasn't bleeding anymore and I knew it wasn't that big of a slit, but it was still a little sore and Jacob's eyes, of course, zeroed in on it the moment his face was level with mine once again.

"Don't," I said, my voice a little hoarse as I raised my hands to his face because I knew that he was about to pull away from me. "I did it to myself. I'm fine, and if you stop right now, I will kill you." Jacob grinned at me before I smiled at him and then kissed the grin off his lips. I slid my hands down to his chest where I started unbuttoning his white shirt with slightly trembling hands.

Jacob didn't break our kiss as he helped me take off his button up and as he tugged his arms free of the sleeves and tossed it aside, I ran my hands up and down his chest while we continued to kiss. I felt his right hand slide under my back before he turned over, dragging me with him. Our kiss broke as we laughed quietly and as he fell back on to the bed with me straddling him, his straining slacks brushing against my still ultra-sensitive center. I leaned down and kissed Jacob before I slowly started to follow a similar path down his body that he had made down mine.

As I kissed my way down his body, I unfastened his slacks and as I pushed them over his hips Jacob's hand found its way into my now half-hazardly pinned up hair. I'd only done what I was about to do a few times over the last month and while Jacob had never complained and always seemed to enjoy it, I was still nervous as I took him into my hand. I tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my left ear as I leaned down and then took him into my mouth. I had barely started returning the favor when Jacob's hand left my hair and he grabbed me under my armpits and pulled me up his body. I gasped when I felt his heated member nudging at the apex of my legs and Jacob smiled at me as he raised his right hand to my face.

"I love you, Aurora," he said whispered as he looked at me with soft love filled brown eyes. It was then, as I looked down at Jacob, that I felt like a fool for ever doubting his feelings about me like I had last night and this morning. I had let what tiny little bit of insecurity I had had until that moment take control and I had forgotten what I had known for a long time now. Jacob _loved me_ with everything he had and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to protect me or to make me happy, and from that moment on I would never doubt that about him ever again.

"I love you too, Jacob," I said, tears lining my eyes, and he frowned slightly.

"Why are you crying?" he asked and I sniffed softly as I shook my head.

"I'm not," I said as I smiled at him. "I'm just really, _really_, happy." He smiled at me as he ran his thumbs along my cheeks before he pulled my face down to his. My hands gripped his shoulders as I pushed myself up slightly as we kissed, and Jacob continued to kiss me as his left hand slid between our bodies while his right hand moved to my hip. As we continued to kiss, Jacob guided himself inside of me with ease and knowing Jacob's mouth would smother the sound I moaned in both relief and satisfaction as the familiar feeling of fullness engulfed me.

Our kiss didn't break as I started rolling my hips and I both felt and heard Jacob's low growl as it vibrated through my body and made me shiver slightly as I continued to ride him. Jacob's left hand moved to rest on my right hip as he helped guide my movements with both of his hands, his mouth thankfully never leaving mine as the two of us continued to kiss as though our lives depended on our mouths and tongues staying connected. Soon, the two of us were lost in the slow and steady rhythm we had created and it wasn't long before both of us were tumbling over the edge.

* * *

"Rory, would you relax," Jacob said with a light laugh as he put his left hand on my right shoulder and I turned slightly so I could smile up at him as we stood under the shelter of the extra-large umbrella he was holding to ward off the light rain that was falling. We could have just waited in the car, but I had too much nervous energy to sit and wait so I had talked Jacob into standing outside of my car while we waited at the tiny airport in Port Angeles. "You're starting to look like a kangaroo," he said smiling and I laughed as I looked back towards the sky and the direction the small engine plane would be arriving from with Gina and Melody on board.

"I can't help it," I said as I looked at him. "I'm excited to see my friends."

"Yeah, I can tell, Rory," he said with another laugh.

"I can't wait for them to meet you and everyone else so that they can see that they really have no reason to worry about me here. Not that they really worry anymore, but I know that they're still concerned about me," I said and Jacob's hand slid down from my shoulder and wrapped around my back before it came to rest on my left hip as he pulled me flush against his side.

"I can't wait to meet them either, and neither can the rest of the pack," Jacob said before he kissed my forehead and I smiled as I cuddled into his side and reveled in his warmth. It wasn't really _cold_ out, but thanks to the light rain it was a bit on the chilly side. However, I had opted out of wearing a jacket that day since Jacob was pretty much my own personal space heater and I was wearing one of his hoodies over a long sleeved white shirt of mine, which kept me nice and warm as I stood there beside my car with him.

Yesterday had been a great day with Jacob, the pack, Emily, Kim, and little Claire who was once again visiting much to Quil's great pleasure. All of us had spent pretty much the entire day at Sam and Emily's eating, chatting, and just hanging out; and since I knew that Gina and Melody would meet them all during their week long stay with me in Forks, I had prepared all of them for Gina's no filter speaking tendencies and Melody's initial shyness that would give way after an hour or so when she would finally open up and act like she's known you her whole life.

"I can hear the plane," Jacob said quietly and I was on full alert once again, this time only rocking on the balls of my feet as I remained tucked into Jacob's side. He laughed and I could practically _feel_ his eye roll at my insanity before he kissed the top of my head softly. Not long after Jacob had whispered to me about hearing the plane approach, I saw the small engine plane in the distance before I heard the gentle roar of its engines.

"There it is!" I said happily before I moved back from him slightly and started bouncing in excitement once again. Jacob laughed once more before he pulled me back under the shelter of the umbrella as I had bounced out from underneath its cover, and he took my right hand into his left.

"You are insane," he said through his laugh and I turned my blinding smile in his direction.

"But you love me anyway," I said and his laughter died down as he looked at me before he smiled softly at me. He leaned into me and I closed my eyes just as his lips pressed firmly against mine.

"I do," he whispered quietly before he kissed me again and out of habit my hands raised to rest on his shoulders while his left arm wrapped around my back, pulling me close to him as we continued to kiss. Sadly, the kiss didn't last much longer than a minute or so because when the sound of the plane grew insanely loud I realized that it had landed and I tore my lips from Jacob's and looked towards the taxing plane. He laughed quietly again before he kissed my right temple as I stood there wrapped securely in his left arm and pressed up against his chest.

There was only two other people waiting with us at the airport for people to arrive, but when the door to the plane opened and the stairs were lowered down I was not the least bit surprised that Gina and Melody were the first ones to clamor off of the thing. I knew then that their ride had been similar to mine because Melody looked like she was going to hurl and Gina didn't look much better.

Both of them had surprisingly dressed appropriately for the weather and were both wearing jeans and sweaters; Melody's was her favorite shade of pale pink while Gina's was dark purple. Gina had on a pair of knee high boots over her skinny jeans while Melody's pink and white Chuck Taylor's were covered slightly by her boot cut jeans. Gina had cut her hair since I saw her last and her golden blonde hair hung in its natural tight ringlets above her shoulders. Melody's wheat colored hair was still long, but not nearly as long as mine, and fell to rest about two inches passed her shoulders. Aside from the length of Gina's hair they looked the same and if possible my smile only grew.

"G! Mel!" I shouted before I dislodged myself from Jacob's side and started jogging for my friends in the light rain. They both turned their heads at the sound of my voice and smiled brightly, their nausea from the flight forgotten upon seeing me.

"Aurora!" they chorused before they met me halfway and we proceeded with our usual three-way hug. Out of the three of us, I was the tallest but Gina was a close second standing at five feet seven inches while Melody brought up the rear at five feet four inches. I knew I had missed them, but I hadn't realized how much until I stood there in the rain hugging them. A minute later the rain was no longer hitting us and a familiar heat against my back told me it was because Jacob had made his way over and was holding the umbrella over us.

"Holy shit," Gina said as we all finally pulled back from our hug and she jumped slightly as she put her hand over her heart and looked up at Jacob with wide eyes.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you all were getting wet."

"I am now," Gina mumbled as she lowered her hand. I knew she didn't think Jacob heard her, but he did and I playfully smacked her arm when I heard him cover up his choking laugh with a quiet cough.

"G," I whispered and she smiled at me.

"Sorry," she said a gleam in her green eyes as she flashed me her dimples. She wasn't the least bit sorry, especially when she saw that her comment had made my face turn a lovely shade of red that probably matched the maroon hoodie I was wearing. I rolled my eyes as Jacob put his left hand on my lower back and moved so he was standing on my right.

"Jacob, these are my best friends, Gina Schneider and Melody Conrad," I said gesturing to each girl as they stared up at Jacob. "G and Mel, this is my boyfriend, Jacob Black."

"It's nice to meet you," Jacob said politely. "Rory's told me a lot about you guys."

"Rory?" Gina asked with a raised pale eyebrow as she looked from Jacob to me, and I shrugged my shoulders as I smiled at her, which made her smile grow as she shook her head and looked up at Jacob. "She's told us a lot about you too, Jacob, and the picture she sent us didn't do you justice. You're a hell of a lot hotter in person," she concluded appraisingly as she let her eyes linger far too long on certain parts of Jacob's body as she looked him over.

"Gina!" I shouted. Jacob laughed and Melody giggled, while Gina gave me a totally innocent look. I knew that Gina was all talk and that she would never actually make a move on any guy that was already in a relationship, but it made me uncomfortable. However, that only meant that Gina would do it all the more because playfully picking on Melody and I and teasing us was how Gina showed she cared. It was a little warped, but that was just how Gina was and after two years of friendship I knew that, but still didn't mean I was completely used to it.

"Thanks, Gina," Jacob said, sounding far too cocky for my liking, as he slid his hand from my lower back to rest on my hip as he pulled me closer to him.

"No problem, Big Guy," she said with a wink before she looked at Melody and then at me. "So, once they get our bags off that flying death trap, how far of a drive do we have?" she asked and I chuckled at her abrupt subject change.

"About a half an hour," I said and she nodded as she ran her fingers through her damp curls. "Charlie and I set up Bella's old room for you guys to crash in. You two don't mind sharing a bed right?" I asked and they shook their heads negatively. We'd all shared beds before, so, it wasn't outside the norm for us but I felt the need to ask just to make sure.

"Speaking of Bella, how was her wedding?" Gina asked and I smiled at her.

"It was nice, and I finally got to show Jacob my dancing skills," I said as I turned my smile up to Jacob who chuckled as he nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said as he looked down at me, his dark eyes softening. "That was something else," he said quietly before I heard a gagging noise that made me roll my eyes as I looked at Gina with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she asked, a smile on her lips and I shook my head as I laughed lightly.

"Nothing," I said before I glanced towards the plane. "It looks like they've got the bags off the death trap. Let's go get your things." Gina and Melody nodded and started walking ahead of us, leaving only Jacob and I under the shelter of the umbrella as we started for the building's overhang where the bags had been unloaded and piled up.

"You're right," Jacob said quietly and I looked up at him.

"About?" I asked.

"When you told us yesterday that it was going to be an interesting week with your friends in town," he said. "That Gina is . . . something." I laughed and nodded my head before Jacob grinned as he kissed my temple. "She'll certainly keep the guys on their toes," he whispered and I laughed. That was certainly an understatement if I ever heard one.


	23. Chapter 23

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds, like I say all the time I'm really glad you all are enjoying the story. I tried to respond to all the signed reviews, but if I missed you I apologize and thank you for reading and reviewing. I don't think this is my best chapter, but I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think and thank you for reading! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Jacob drove all of us to my house where he helped Gina, Melody, and I take their bags up to Bella's old room. There wasn't much to the room any more, just Bella's old bed, nightstands, a couple of lamps, her tall dresser by one of her windows, and her old desk. Alice and Jasper had come over yesterday morning before I had left for La Push to take Bella's boxes to their place. We had visited for a while and it had been nice to spend a little time with them on my own for once without Jacob hovering or Bella close by. Charlie wasn't home from work yet, so, I decided to take the girls upstairs first before giving them the grand tour.

"Nice place," Gina said as she did a quick once over before we headed upstairs and I smiled at her.

"It's home," I said lightly and she smiled at me before she followed behind Melody and Jacob upstairs with me bringing in the rear. "There's only one bathroom though," I said once we reached the top of the stairs and gestured to it, which made Melody and Gina share a look before they looked at me with raised eyebrows. "I know, I know; it's going to be a challenge, but we'll make it work."

"What's going to be a challenge?" Jacob asked as he walked out of Bella's old room sans the three large and heavy bags he had been carrying and Melody gave him a shy smile while Gina chuckled.

"Well, Muscles," she said lightly, "the challenge is going to be three seventeen year old girls and a forty something year old man sharing _one_ bathroom for a week. It usually takes me an hour to get my hair right, and with all this rain I don't even want to think how long it's going to take me," she finished as she fluffed her ringlets and sauntered passed Jacob and into the room with a giggling Melody following closing behind her. Jacob watched the two girls for a second before he looked at me with a raised eyebrow that made me laugh fully before I shrugged my shoulders as innocently as I could. He gave me a crooked grin then before he shook his head and walked over to me, his hot hands settling on my hips as he pulled me close and my hands instantly finding their way up his chest and over his shoulders to interlock behind his neck.

"Are you staying?" I asked, hoping that he would say yes. I wanted him to get to know Gina and Melody a bit before I literally threw them at the wolves tomorrow morning for the party/bonfire Emily was insistent on throwing to welcome them to town.

"I wish I could, but I've got shift this afternoon and into the evening," he said. "I switched days with Jared so I could go with you this morning."

"Why are you guys still running shifts?" I asked curiously with a frown, making sure to lower my voice to a low whisper as I continued. "I thought that everything was pretty much neutralized now that Edward's visiting family left town."

"We've still got to watch the boarder, Rory," he whispered, his left hand rising from my hip to tuck a few loose tendrils of hair that had escaped the long braid I had put my hair into that morning, which was resting over my left shoulder.

"You know the others aren't going to cross it," I said with a frown and Jacob nodded his head before he kissed my forehead.

"I know, but Sam wants to run steady shifts for a little while longer. Everyone will be at the party tomorrow though, and I think he'll let up on them pretty soon," he said and I took a deep breath through my nose before I nodded my head.

"All right," I said reluctantly and he smiled at me as he started to lean in to me, but a throat clearing stopped him from kissing me like I so desperately wanted him to.

"As much as I _hate_ to break up the small love fest going on out here, we are your guests, Aurora. Aren't you going to show us around?" came Gina's voice and I could hear the smile that was undoubtedly on her face in her light and teasing tone of voice, which made me laugh as I slowly pulled away from a disgruntled looking Jacob. He sighed as he turned around and looked at Gina who was standing in the doorway of the room with Melody just behind her. Both of my friends were wearing practically identical smirks on their faces.

"I will show you guys around, but can I say goodbye to my boyfriend first, G?" I asked with a smile and Gina raised an eyebrow before she turned her green eyes to Jacob.

"You're not sticking around, Muscles?" Gina asked and Jacob chuckled at what was apparently his new nickname.

"Unfortunately, no, I have to work; but I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said before he turned back to me, raised his hands to my face, and kissed me chastely. "Love you," he whispered and I smiled up at him.

"Love you too," I whispered back as he kissed my forehead, let go of my face, and walked around me before he bounded down the stairs. Not surprisingly, both Gina and Melody waited until they heard the front door close before they attacked.

"Oh my gosh, Aurora, that picture you sent us did not do him justice. He's even better looking in her person and my goodness that body!" Melody said and I smiled as I looked at my flushed face friend as she waved a hand at her warm face. Melody may have a way with guys, but she was still a little shy, especially around good-looking guys. Gina, on the other hand was the polar opposite of both of us in that respect.

"Like I said before, lucky bitch," Gina said with a grin and Melody and I laughed at her declaration. "Please tell me that we'll be meeting his friends that you told us about sooner rather than later. Not that I don't love you, but if any of them are single and half as hot as Jacob I might be a little occupied this week." I rolled my eyes and shook my head at Gina before I smiled at her.

"A few of them are a couple years younger than us, but two of them that are our age are single and you'll get to meet all of them tomorrow at the party," I said and that seemed to peek both of their attention. I knew that Gina and Paul would probably get along just fine, they were so much alike in a lot of ways that it was actually kind of freaky, and once they broke the ice I was sure that Melody would get along famously with Embry; but I seriously doubted that any of the guys would _imprint_ on either of the girls. I mean, what were the odds of that? However, if Gina was up to it I knew Paul wouldn't object to showing her a good time; which was really something I was not looking forward to hearing about. If anything did happen, Gina was a sharer and Melody and I would be told all about the _fun_ she had.

"Party?" they harmonized.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "Jacob's . . . boss, Sam and his fiancé Emily are throwing a party slash bonfire to welcome you guys to town and so you can meet almost all of my friends."

"Almost all? How many new friends do you got up here that you're trying to replace us with?" Gina asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and I smiled at her.

"Quite a few actually, but trust me, G, no one can replace you and Mel," I said honestly and that earned me a teasing 'awe' from my friends before they came over to me and we shared another three way hug. "Okay, okay," I said as we pulled apart and laughed lightly. "I'll give you a tour of the house and then if you guys want to go for a drive and I can show you around town, we can do that. It'll be a quick drive, but we can stop at the diner for a late lunch."

"Sounds good," Melody said and Gina nodded.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Gina said as she patted her stomach and Melody and I laughed quietly.

"Okay. Follow me," I said before I started giving them the grand tour of the house.

* * *

"I really like Charlie," Melody said as the three of us were in my bedroom getting ready to head over to Sam and Emily's by noon. Gina had been a bear to wake up since she wasn't really a morning person, but after three cups of coffee and a shower she was much more agreeable as Melody helped Gina tie back and pin the tight ringlets of her hair in place, pulling her hair back from Gina's heart shaped face.

I had had so much fun the day before, spending time with my friends showing them around Forks, and Melody helped me with dinner last night when Charlie had gotten home while Gina had sat with Charlie in the living room. Melody and I knew better than to ever let Gina anywhere near a kitchen because she had inherited her mother's lack of talent in the kitchen. Thankfully, she had inherited her father's talent for memorizing various sports stats and much to my surprise Gina and Charlie had actually hit it off. However, Charlie's expressions of a few of Gina's wayward comments told me that he liked her but he thought that she was crazy. Breakfast had been similar to dinner only this morning Charlie had chuckled into his coffee as Gina grumbled about how much she hated Melody and I for being morning people and dragging her out of bed at seven in the morning.

"Yeah, for a cop he's totally laid back," Gina said as she handed a few more bobby pins to Melody who expertly used them to create a neat yet loose bun on the back of Gina's head.

"Well, there's not exactly a lot of big crime around here, but there's enough small stuff to keep him busy," I said with a smile as I watched Gina stuff the popcorn in her mouth, which made both Melody and I laugh. I had been the last to take my shower that morning and had joined my two friends in front of my dresser.

Like yesterday, we were all dressed in sweater and jean ensembles since we'd be spending a lot of time outside that day. Thankfully, it wasn't supposed to rain today because after lunch we were all going to head to First Beach where the boys were likely going to play soccer for a while before they'd start a fire and all of us would just hang out. Gina and Melody were excited to meet everyone, and wanted to make a good impression on everyone. However, knowing Gina like I did she was dressing to impress because, in her words from last night, wanted to find a Jacob of her own to enjoy for the week. I could only hope that she didn't cause too much damage in the end because I would be the one left holding the bag in the end; especially if she ended up hurting one of the guys in some form or fashion.

Gina was wearing a rather tight black and white tiny striped cowlneck sweater over a pair of light wash skinny jeans. She had on the same boots she'd worn yesterday, and had gone a little heavier than normal with her makeup that morning to cover up flaws that only she could see. Melody was wearing a simple scoop neck sweater that was a soft lavender color that paired well with her favorite Chuck Taylors that she was once again wearing with black boot cut jeans. Melody had also pulled her long hair back into a high ponytail and kept her makeup light and almost nonexistent as usual but her coppery brown eyes were bright and happy despite the lack of emphasis on them. I had opted for a nice light gray v-neck thermal fitted sweater with a white tank underneath that I had paired with my favorite dark wash jeans and a pair of black tennis shoes. My long hair was secured in a fishtail braid that rested over my left shoulder (which Melody had done for me since she was the hair expert) and I pushed the sleeves of my sweater up to my elbows before I fastened my bracelet around my left wrist with a smile and then put on my necklace.

"You know, we've wanted to ask you about that since yesterday," Melody said and I looked at her with a small frown as I lowered my hands and turned to face the pair who were both looking at me, Gina back on her feet and her hair perfect as always.

"About what?" I asked and they smiled at me.

"Your bracelet," Melody said simply and I looked down at my wrist as I raised my hands and twisted the woven bracelet around my wrist before I looked back at my friends.

"Yeah, especially since whenever we talked about Jacob yesterday, you turned it around your wrist and got a stupid grin on your face; just like the one you've got going on now," Gina said with a smile and I felt myself blush as I laughed quietly and lowered my hands to my sides

"It's the Quileute version of a promise ring," I said with a slight shrug of my shoulders and a smile still on my face. "Jacob gave it to me for my birthday." For several quiet beats my friends just stared at me and I started to feel a little uncomfortable. "What?" I asked when neither one of them said anything further.

"So, you guys are like _serious_ serious?" Gina asked, but Melody spoke before I could answer Gina's question.

"G, you saw the way Jacob was looking at her yesterday and he called twice last night just to see how she was doing. They are a little beyond serious if you ask me," Melody said as she looked to our curly haired friend and Gina nodded her head in understanding as she looked back at me, but Melody's comment made me frown.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked and Melody turned her smiling face to me before she laughed lightly.

"Nothing bad, Aurora, I swear it's just . . . Jacob looks at you like, well, like he's looking at the sun for the first time or something," Melody said and I smiled at her.

"Really?" I asked knowing that she was kind of right. However, that was always how Jacob looked at me, so, I really didn't know anything different.

"You never noticed it?" Gina asked with raised eyebrows and I shook my head slightly, a smile still on my face.

"No," I said lightly. My friends chuckled and I laughed with them just as a knock sounded on my open bedroom door. Their eyes looked behind me and I turned around to see a grinning Jacob standing there dressed in a black slight v-neck t-shirt with his dark brown cotton jacket over it and a pair of dark jeans. "Hey," I said as I quickly walked over to him knowing full well that he had likely heard at least the last part of our conversation.

"Hey," he said back before he was quick to reach out and take my right hand into his left, pulling me close and kissing my forehead.

"I thought that we were going to meet you at Sam and Emily's with everyone else," I said as I looked up at him with a smile on my lips. He shrugged his right shoulder and smiled as he looked at me, and my smile grew because I already knew why he was there. He hadn't been able to sneak up into my room last night and whenever he didn't spend the night I always saw him bright and early the next morning.

"Dad had some stuff for Charlie, and was going to have me give it to you tonight, but I thought I'd drive over and give it to Charlie myself this morning," he said with a grin and I laughed lightly as I shook my head.

"Well that's a lame ass excuse if I ever heard one," Gina said with a laugh and Jacob looked up over my head while I turned around to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "You should just admit that you missed your girlfriend and used whatever your dad had for Charlie as an excuse to drive all the way out here just to see her," she said with a smile and Jacob chuckled behind me as he let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist before he pulled my back flush against his chest. The movement had surprised me and I stumbled back a bit with a startled expression on my face, which made my friends chuckle.

"Okay, I admit it," he said before he kissed the side of my head, inhaling deeply before he pulled back, and the girls laughed fully.

"Muscles, you are so whipped," Gina said as she and Melody grabbed their bags, Melody grabbing mine for me since Jacob had yet to relinquish his hold on me. Jacob chuckled before he slid his hand from my waist, making me shiver slightly as his fingers trailed along my cotton covered skin and goose bumps to rise. I took a deep breath to try and push away the rush of blood to my face since Jacob's lips had graced my ear before he stepped away from me, but it was obvious by the looks on Gina and Melody's faces that it hadn't worked.

"Ready?" Jacob asked us and Melody nodded as she handed me my bag.

"We're ready," she said lightly, a smile on her face as she looked up at Jacob and then at me.

"Let's go then," he said before he grabbed my hand and the four of us headed downstairs. After saying quick goodbyes to Charlie who was off that day, we went outside and headed over to my car. Jacob's bike was parked beside my car and I let go of his hand to unlock the car doors so the girls could climb inside. With Melody and Gina tucked into the car, I turned to look at Jacob with the driver's side door open and my hand resting on the doorframe.

"See you in thirty?" I asked with a smile as I looked up at him and he chuckled under his breath before he nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said as he raised his right hand to the side of my face, leaned in, and captured my lips in a kiss that left me a little light headed and my knees trembling. When he pulled away I knew I was blushing from more than the slight embarrassment of having my friends see my boyfriend kiss me so intimately, and for the briefest of moments I regretted that my friends were there and that Charlie was home because I couldn't drag Jacob inside and do what I wanted to do to him just then. "See you in thirty," he said as he pulled away, turned to his bike, and climbed on. I stood there dumbly for a few minutes, watching him back down the driveway, start the bike, and take off; and it took Gina and Melody's loud laughter to break me out of whatever trance Jacob had left me in.

My face flamed red as I hastily climbed into the car and closed the door as I tossed my bag into the backseat, allowing it to land right beside Melody, who was still laughing. I said nothing as I started up the car, back out of the driveway, and started driving to Sam and Emily's with my still laughing friends in tow. It was a good ten minutes into the drive before their laughter finally quieted and my face returned to its normal color. However, that didn't really last too long.

"You know, if you want to take a night or two while we're here to spend some _quality_ time with Jacob, we won't hold it against you, Aurora," Gina said teasingly and I glanced at her to see a small grin on her face while Melody scoffed a quiet laugh at Gina's statement.

"I just might take you up on that," I said, earning yet another round of laughter from my friends as I smiled to myself and continued to drive to La Push.

* * *

It was no surprise that Jacob had arrived at Sam and Emily's well before Gina, Melody, and I had since he drove way too fast on his bike, and it also was no surprise that he was standing on the porch of the house waiting for us. However, I was surprised to see Embry standing with him. "Who's that?" Gina asked as I brought the car to a stop besides Sam's truck and smiled.

"One of Jacob's best friends, Embry Call," I said as I put the car in park and turned off the ignition.

"He's cute," Gina said and I looked at her knowing full well what that tone in her voice suggested.

"He's a bit shy," I said and she turned her eyes to me, "so, don't scare him." She laughed lightly before she rolled her green eyes skyward.

"I like 'em a little shy, and don't worry, Aurora, I'll be gentle," Gina said quietly with a wink and I laughed as the three of us climbed out of the car with our bags in tow. Gina and Melody flanked me as we walked towards the house and Jacob's smile grew as his dark eyes found my blue, and I easily smiled back despite the butterflies that filled my stomach. I turned my eyes to Embry and smiled at my friend.

"Hey Embry," I said as I walked up the stairs and quickly gave him a hug that made him laugh quietly as he hugged me back. I moved over to Jacob's side and he was quick to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me to his side as he gave Embry a subtle look that made me roll my eyes. "Embry, these are my best friends, Gina and Melody," I said as I gestured to each girl.

"Hi-ya," Gina said with a grin and Melody smiled shyly at Embry as she and Gina joined us on the porch.

"Hey," Embry said with a smile as he looked at Gina and Melody. "Aurora's told us all a lot about you guys."

"All good things I hope," Gina said, her grin turning into a bright smile as she put her left hand on her hip, shuffled a little closer to Embry, and put her left hand on her hip. At first he seemed a little startled by the serious attention Gina was giving him, and he blushed as he laughed nervously.

"Yeah, all good," he said and Gina's smile remained as she reached out and linked her right arm around his left.

"Good because I already like you, Embry," she said brightly and Embry smiled at her, cheeks still blazing, before he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged as I did my best to hold back my laughter.

"Roll with it," I mouthed to him and he awkwardly cleared his throat as he looked back at Gina with a small smile on his lips.

"Are you guys going to stand out here all day because Emily's got the food ready and she won't let any of us touch it until the girls get their plates," came Paul's voice as he joined us out on the porch, walking around Jacob and me and looking at Embry and Gina with a raised eyebrow.

"We're coming, man, relax," Jacob said with a laugh.

"Paul," I said looking at him and he looked at me. "These are my friends, Gina and Melody," I said gesturing to Gina and then Melody, who was standing on the last stair in front of us and blushing brightly as she smiled nervously up at Paul. It was then that I realized why Melody was blushing. Paul wasn't wearing a shirt, and I mentally rolled my eyes at him.

"Hey," Paul said as he looked at Gina and then looked at Embry with a grin on his lips. Embry blushed but he made no move to dislodge Gina from his side. I knew he hadn't imprinted on Gina (or Melody for that matter), but Embry was too sweet of a guy to be rude and I had a feeling that he didn't really mind that Melody had taken a liking to him all that much. "So, are you guys going to come inside or are . . .," Paul trailed off as he looked at Melody, whose blush only darkened when she realized that Paul had caught her ogling his chest. However, it was when she snapped her eyes to his that his voice trailed off and even _I_ realized what had happened.

"_Crap,"_ I thought before I looked up at Jacob who looked rather concerned. I wasn't sure if his concern was for Melody because Paul was a bit of a hot head or for Paul because in a week Melody would be on a plane and on her way back to San Diego.

"Uh, hi," Paul said lightly as he looked at Melody and she gave him a nervous smile as she tucked invisible hair behind both of her ears as she looked at him.

"Hi," she said softly and he smiled at her before he moved so he was standing in front of her and held out his right hand.

"I'm Paul," he said and, still blushing, Melody slowly put her hand in his.

"Melody, or Mel is fine," she said as he pretty much just held on to her hand instead of shaking it. I couldn't see Paul's face, but judging by the still raging blush on Melody's face as she looked up at him and the smile that made its way across her lips that he was likely looking at her with a stupid grin on his face.

"So, Mel, are you hungry?" he asked and Melody nodded her head.

"I could eat," she said quietly and he chuckled.

"All right, come with me. I can introduce you to everyone and get you some food," he said as he pulled on her hand and Melody nodded before she stepped up the last stair and followed behind Paul and into Sam and Emily's house without so much as a glance at the rest of us standing on the porch.

"Well that was interesting," Gina said from where she stood beside Embry and I looked at her with a small smile before she turned her eyes up to Embry. "You want to do the same?" she asked as she looked at him and Embry smiled.

"Sure," he said before he bent his arm around Gina's and led her into the house, leaving Jacob and I standing alone on the porch.

"What are we going to do?" I asked in a whisper as I took a half step from Jacob and turned around so I was looking up at him, my hands reaching out and grasping his open jacket into my hands. "Mel's not going to be here for longer than a week," I said.

"They'll make it work," he said and I sighed quietly as I shook my head and looked down at my hands that had a white knuckle grip on his jacket. "Relax, Rory, you don't have anything to worry about. Melody will be fine," he said as he raised his hands to rest on my upper arms and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"I'm not worried about Melody," I said as I returned my eyes up to Jacob and he frowned as he looked at me.

"Then what has you so on edge?"

"I'm worried about Paul," I said and he raised a dark eyebrow as he looked at me. "Jacob, what was it like for you when the two of us weren't speaking at first?"

"Torture," he said without having to think about it and I shook his jacket slightly.

"Exactly. I was only a few miles away from you and it was only for like a day. In a week, Mel will be hundreds of miles away from Paul. What will it be like for him?" I asked and Jacob sighed.

"Rory, it will all work itself out," he said. I wanted to believe him, I really truly did, but at that moment in time I could not see any good outcome for Paul imprinting on Melody. Sure, Melody's calm demeanor would certainly mellow out Paul's more aggressive one, but they were two very different people. Melody had always dreamed of going to college on the east coast; preferably NYU, Columbia, Harvard, or Brown; and I doubted that that had changed at all in the months that I had been living in Forks. I wasn't sure that she'd change her plans and go to school in Washington just to be closer to Paul; and I knew the longer they were apart the worse it would be for him. Paul may have been a pain in the backside a lot of the time, but he was my friend and I didn't want him in pain because Melody was far away from him.

"I don't know, Jacob," I said quietly as I looked back up at him, and he gave me a small smile before he raised his hands from my arms to my face. He leaned in and kissed me then before he pulled back slightly and smiled at me once more.

"Rory, don't worry about Paul, okay?" he asked and I sighed before I reluctantly nodded my head as Jacob lowered his hands and pried my fingers from his jacket. He took my hands in his and ran his thumbs over the back of my hands, his smile still on his face.

"You might be right, but I don't know," I said again, feeling slightly frustrated. "What if it's not the same for Melody as it was for me?" I asked and Jacob shrugged.

"It just happened, Rory, give it time because it might be," he said and I nodded while a small frown settled on his face. "You know, you never told me, did you feel anything that morning when we first met?" he asked quietly and I felt my cheeks warm as I smiled up at him.

"I'm not sure what I felt really," I said. "At first, I was a little uncomfortable from the way you were staring at me, but by the time you were driving me home I was crushing hard on you."

"By the end of tonight, it'll be the same for Melody," he said quietly.

"If that's the case, Paul better get a cell phone so they can keep in contact," I said and he laughed lightly before he leaned in and kissed me once more.

"He will," he said and I smiled up at him before he tugged on my hands. "Let's go inside and eat, okay?" he asked and I nodded before Jacob dropped my right hand but kept a hold of my left before we went into the house. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day.


	24. Chapter 24

Hey everyone! I am a terrible, terrible, person for taking forever to update. I am so sorry. Also, I'm sorry for not responding to everyone's reviews this time around. The holidays were a little insane for me because I had an endless list of parties and get togethers to go to and then I actually misplaced my data drive that has this story on it. I swear I tore my computer desk a part in search of it since it rarely leaves that area before I found it under my bed on Friday. I still haven't figured out how it got there but I think my cat had something to do with it. Now that life has returned to nomral, the next update should come a lot faster I'm thinking Wednesday. If you're still bothering with this story, I hope you all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twlight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

After a whirlwind of introductions Gina and Melody were now acquainted with everyone before we all had settled in for a great lunch that Emily undoubtedly worked very hard on. With limited seating for everyone, it was no surprise that Kim, Emily, and I had ended up on our respected boyfriends' laps. At first I had been hesitant because I wasn't sure Jacob would be able to eat with me plopped down on his lap, but I really shouldn't have doubted his ability since he had done it before and he was having no problem eating with his left arm wrapped around my waist.

"This is so good, Emily," Gina said happily from where she sat, rather closely, next to Embry, whose russet cheeks were still a bit pink from all the attention that Gina had been giving him for the last hour. "Unless I go to Melody's I haven't had a decent home cooked meal since Aurora moved up here," she said before she stuffed another spoonful of the potato salad Emily had made into her mouth. Several eyes turned my way while I heard and felt Jacob chuckle softly as he too put another spoonful of food into his mouth.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, asking the question I knew all the boys were thinking, and I sighed softly as I leaned back against Jacob's chest. He chuckled once more as he tightened his hold around my waist. Jacob had managed to keep my cooking skills and all the meals he had enjoyed at my house to himself because, no offense to Emily or anything, I did not want to have a house full of shape-shifters gunning for a meal, or five at once, on a regular basis.

"My mom can't cook for crap, and sadly I have inherited her ability to burn water, so, whenever we hung out Aurora would cook," Gina said with a shrug. "Has she made you her cheese and ham casserole thing yet? God, Aurora, you're making that for me at least twice before I leave," Gina said as her eyes zeroed in on me and I laughed as I nodded my head in agreement, which earned me a blinding smile from my best friend.

"Have you been holding out on us, Aurora?" Quil asked with a grin, which made me roll my eyes.

"No," I said slowly as I shook my head and look at him with a smile on my lips. "Jacob's ate my cooking plenty of times," I said before I took a bite of food and all the guys, except for Sam who was smiling at me as he sat with Emily, looked at Jacob with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"You got a girl that can cook and you don't _share_?" Quil asked, seemingly playing the role of voice for the entire pack. Jacob laughed at the question before I felt him shrug his shoulder.

"Yeah, I failed the whole learning to share part of kindergarten, remember?" Jacob asked and I could practically _feel_ the smirk on his lips as he spoke. "Besides, Rory likes to cook for just Charlie and me," he finished and Seth scoffed.

"You do know that that's about to change right?" he asked as his eyes moved to me and I sighed dejectedly before I nodded my head.

"Oh I know, but don't count on too much from me. _Maybe_ I'll help Emily out a little more in the kitchen now that my secret's out, but I don't think Charlie would take to kindly to you guys coming around and cleaning out his cupboards on a regular basis. It's bad enough when Jacob's around and now that Sue and Charlie are officially out as a couple Seth and Leah are about to help him clear everything out," I said lightly earning a round of laughter from my friends. Emily smiled at me and shook her head while Leah looked at me with a raised eyebrow from where she sat. However, she failed to completely push down the grin that turned the corners of her lips up as she looked at me.

"Yeah, I swear I've never seen so much food in one place at one time. Plus, you guys eat like a pack of wild wolves or something," Gina said with a laugh as everyone quieted and looked at her. She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. "What?" Everyone started laughing again before everyone started partaking in their own conversations.

It was then that my eyes drifted to Melody who was seated beside Paul, smiling as she looked at him and listened to whatever he was saying rather intently. I don't think I had ever seen Paul so calm and relaxed as he sat back in his chair, his eyes focused solely on Melody as he smiled and talked to her. Part of me was relieved that Paul had caught on that Melody was shy when she was first getting to know someone. He was obviously doing most, if not all, of the talking, but knowing Melody like I did she'd put a cent in or two; and I wouldn't be long before she was full on conversing with Paul.

I bit my lip as I watched them, my worry about what it was going to be like for Paul when Melody returned to San Diego. Knots once again filled my stomach when I saw Paul reach out and gently take her right hand that was resting on the table into his left, but they surprisingly eased considerably when I saw Melody turn her hand underneath his and wrap her much smaller fingers around his hand. Maybe Jacob was right, and everything really would work out in the end.

Gina's scoffed laughter drew my attention away from the new couple and I stopped biting my lip as I turned my eyes to where Gina sat. I saw her smirk as she sat back a bit in her seat and continued to eat; however, it was then that I noticed Embry smile as he settled his eyes on Gina. As if she felt his gaze on her, Gina turned her eyes up to Embry and she smiled at him before I saw her left hand leave the table. I raised an eyebrow when I saw Embry jump a bit in his seat as his smile slipped away while his eyes widened and his cheeks flamed pink. I chuckled under my breath as I mentally shook my head before I looked down at my plate.

"What are you laughing at?" came Jacob's very quiet voice right into my right ear and I just managed to suppress a shiver as his breath pretty much caressed my neck as it made its way across my body. However, my body tensed as goose bumps raced across my skin. I could feel Jacob's body shake slightly as he silently laughed before he brushed a ghost of a kiss against the shell of my right ear. I involuntarily closed my eyes for a beat before I opened them and looked over my right shoulder at my boyfriend who, as expected, was grinning as he looked at me.

"I was laughing at Gina and Embry," I said softly. I was fully aware that all the guys and Leah could hear me, but they were humoring me by pretending that they couldn't and continued on with their conversations. "Gina's going to give the poor guy a heart attack or something," I said and Jacob snorted quietly before his dark eyes glanced at Embry for a second before they returned to mine.

"Probably," he said dryly and I laughed quietly before I leaned forward a bit and pressed my lips softly to his.

Jacob's hand on my waist tightened a bit as I broke the brief kiss and pulled back with a small smile on my face. His eyes softened as he smiled back at me before his eyes danced across my face, seemingly taking in every detail like he always did. Even after everything I had yet to really figure out what it was that Jacob always found so fascinating when he looked at me because sometimes he would just stare at me. We'd be watching a movie at either his house or mine and I would feel his eyes on me more than they were on the TV, or I'd be doing something and if I declined his offer of help he would just stand back and watch me. At first all his staring and his watchful gazes had made me a little uncomfortable, but I was used to them now and I just presumed it had something to do with the whole imprinting thing and he couldn't really help it.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" he asked quietly and I shrugged my left shoulder as I looked into his brown eyes.

"Nothing in particular," I said. "I just felt like kissing you." I leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose before I turned back to the table and continued eating my lunch with a small smile on my face.

* * *

"So, is this what you guys do all the time since there is like _nothing_ else to do around here?" Gina asked as she sat next to me on the blanket we had laid out on the pebble sand beach.

After lunch and after Claire had woken up from her nap, we had packed everything up in the cars and made the ten minute drive from Sam and Emily's house to the beach where we were to continue the small party. The guys already had the fire pit ready for when it started to get dark, and of course Emily had packed enough food in about ten baskets to feed our small shape shifter army. Presently, us girls were settled on the blankets we had laid out. Emily was paying with Claire 'climbing' around on some large rocks just down the way while Kim sat with Melody, Gina, and me. I laughed quietly as I turned my eyes from the game of soccer the guys and Leah were playing just down the beach from where we sat to my blonde haired friend.

"Pretty much," I said earning a chuckle from Gina before her eyes wandered over to the guys and Leah. All of the guys had their shirts off as they ran around, laughing and tackling each other even though there was no tackling (as far as I knew anyway) in soccer.

"Well, if it wasn't for the fantastic display of the male form of our species over there, I would say that it is as boring as hell," Gina said. "How is it possible for a group of guys to be so . . . so . . .," Gina trailed off and Melody and I shared a curious look before we returned our eyes to Gina. She was _never_ at a loss for words, but it appeared as though my friend was just that at that particular moment.

"So what?" Kim bravely asked. Like Melody, Kim was shy and quiet around new people, and I knew Gina was rather intimidating so that was why I thought it brave for Kim to pose the million dollar question. However, Gina had sort of taken Kim under her wing and the two were getting along surprisingly well and it only made me happier that all of my friends were getting along.

"Unbelievably fuckable," Gina finished as she turned her eyes away from the guys and looked at Kim. Kim's copper skin turned red as her eyes widened, but Melody and I only laughed. Neither of us was surprised at Gina's comment which was why Melody and I were laughing so hard; and I was just thankful that Emily was far enough away with Claire so I didn't have to reprimand Gina for her cursing. "Kim," Gina said as Melody and my laughter quieted, "you've got to admit that your boyfriend and his friends are like the hottest group of guys ever."

"I-I-I guess," Kim managed to get out. "But I've never really paid that much attention to the others. I've liked Jared since like the sixth grade, so, he's the only one I've ever really noticed."

"Seriously?" Gina asked and Kim nodded, her cheeks still pink. "How long have you been dating?"

"About a year and a half," Kim said.

"Please tell me you didn't hold out as long as Miss Prude over here before you finally did the deed with him," Gina said as she gestured towards me and I scoffed and playfully hit her arm, which made Gina shoot me a quick smile and a wink before she looked back at Kim. The poor girl's face turned bright red again as she laughed and her shoulders relaxed and she smiled at Gina.

"Longer, actually," Kim said and Gina's jaw slacked as she looked at Kim. "Almost seven months," Kim said, answering Gina's unspoken question and my blonde friend rolled her eyes as she let out an exasperated sigh and threw her hands up in the air.

"What is wrong with you two!" she stated rather than asked and Kim and I shared a look before we laughed. "You both are insane." I rolled my eyes while Kim just smiled and shrugged and Melody laughed quietly.

"Maybe, but I know Jacob and I have more than made up for lost time," I said and Gina looked at me with a grin.

"After that little display this morning and the fact that you looked like you wanted to fuck him where he stood standing beside your car I don't doubt that, Aurora," she said, "and I can't say that I blame you." I smiled at her and shrugged, which earned a light laugh from my friend before she sighed softly. "I am seriously thinking about trying to convince my parents to move to Forks just so I can stick around," Gina said with a grin as her eyes moved back to the guys.

"Yeah, me too," Melody said as I watched as she followed Gina's gaze before her eyes instantly made their way to Paul who just happened to look her way at the same time. Where Gina had been joking, I was pretty sure that Melody wasn't because as I looked between her and Paul I knew that she felt just as connected to Paul as I had to Jacob after that first day with him. Paul smiled at her before he said something to Jared and then proceeded to jog over to where we all sat.

"Oh, here comes your boyfriend, Mel," Gina teased, which made Melody look at her with red cheeks and a glare. However, the fact that the corners of her mouth were turned up sort of defeated the purpose of her glare.

"Ladies," Paul said as his eyes swept over us quickly before landing on Melody, who slowly turned her head towards him and looked up at him from where she sat on the blanket. "Melody, do you want to go on a walk with me?" he asked as their eyes met and Melody smiled brightly as she looked up at him and nodded her head.

"Sure," she said quietly and was rewarded with a charming smile from Paul before he held out his right hand to her. She uncrossed her legs as she put her left hand in his and he helped her stand before the two of them started walking in the opposite direction of where the other guys were and down the beach with their fingers intertwined.

"See you girls later," Gina said before she too stood and I frowned as I looked up at her.

"Where are you going?" I asked while she adjusted the hem of her sweater.

"To see if Embry wants to take a walk," she said with a wink before she literally sauntered, her hips swaying and everything, over to where Embry stood.

Embry turned his head towards her and I swore even from where I sat I saw him swallow hard before he gave her a shy smile. Gina was quick to take hold of his right hand with her left before she wrapped her right hand around the side of his neck and pulled his head down towards hers. I watched with a raised eyebrow as she whispered something to him that made his face turn tomato red before she laughed and lowered her right hand. Embry looked at her and actually grinned as he looked down at her before he allowed her to pull him along towards the tree line and the two disappeared from sight.

"Where are they going?" Kim asked and I choked out a laugh before I looked at her.

"Trust me, Kim, you do not want to know," I said as I shook my head which caused my friend's eyebrows to rise. We weren't alone for much longer because our respected boyfriends soon joined us, Jared settling on the blanket behind Kim with his legs stretched out on either side of hers as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close while Jacob pretty much mirrored his pack brother's position behind me.

"Looks like your friends are fitting in well," Jared said as he looked at me and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "I still can't believe that Paul imprinted on Mel. I just hope he'll be okay when she has to leave next week," I said, once again voicing my concern but Jared just shook his head.

"He'll be okay," Jared said in the same assuring tone that Jacob had used earlier. "We'll figure something out and it's not like Melody doesn't already like him. They'll stay in contact."

"True," I said, knowing that Jared was right.

"And Gina's taken a real liking to Embry," Jared said with a grin and we all laughed at that as my hands settled on Jacob's forearms that were securely wrapped around my waist and holding me against his solid chest.

"I know. I only hope that Embry survives," I said dryly and both Jared and Kim looked at me curiously while Jacob scoffed out a laugh before I felt him kiss the crown of my head.

"What does that mean?" Jared asked and I smiled.

"Let's just say that Gina makes pre-imprint flirty skirt chasing Paul seem like Mother Theresa," I said earning raised eyebrows from Jared before he broke out in a loud bark like laugh while Kim blushed and smiled at me before she shook her head. Jacob chuckled before he nuzzled is face into my neck and breathed in deeply before he placed a kiss behind my ear.

"Since everyone seems to be doing their own thing right now, do you want to _disappear_ with me for a little while?" he whispered in my ear and I bit my lip before I looked over my shoulder and nodded my head as a small smile made its way across my lips. I was all for having a few private minutes with my boyfriend.

"Yeah," I said and Jacob was quick to his feet before he pulled me from the ground with no effort at all. "We'll be back," I said to Jared and Kim who both rolled their eyes as Jacob pulled me away and down the beach before we too disappeared into the tree line, but much further down and far away from where Gina had slipped away with Embry.

We'd walked maybe thirty or forty steps into the trees before I found myself roughly pressed up against one of the larger trees before Jacob's mouth was quickly on mine. I returned his kiss with just as much vigor as my hands slid up his chest, around his neck and into his short hair. I bit his lower lip and pulled on it slightly, which earned me a low growl as Jacob bent down slightly and grasped the back of my thighs. He lifted me from the ground and wrapped my legs around his waist while his hands grasped my backside tightly and his lips moved away from mine and along my jaw.

"Jacob," I moaned as my left hand moved from his hair and gripped his shoulder as his mouth left a trail of fire across my skin. "We shouldn't be doing this here. Our friends are just-," I cut myself off with a gasp when he nipped at my ear and grinded his hips into mine. "God, Jacob," I breathed before I arched my back, pressing my chest against his.

"You know, we all could hear you girls talking," he whispered in my ear as he took a break from his assault on my neck and pulled his head back slightly to meet my gaze.

"I know," I whispered as I looked into his dark eyes.

"Gina's got a mouth," he said with a grin and I laughed lightly.

"I know," I said again, a little louder than the first time. "Do I even want to know what she whispered to Embry?"

"Probably not," he said, still grinning, "but let's just say she and I, right now anyway, are on the same page." I raised an eyebrow curiously before Jacob leaned forward and kissed me once again his hands going to my hips as he did so. I kissed him back with ease and didn't think about what he said. We grouped at each other as we kissed, my legs still firmly wrapped around his waist. I was so lost in Jacob and everything that he was that when I felt his fingers unbutton the button of my jeans reality came over me. I tore my lips from his and looked at him, practically panting I was so out of breath.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my brain was telling me to pull away from him that he shouldn't do _that_ here but my body was all for what Jacob was about to do because I was on fire for him and I needed him to release the ache that had settled between my legs. Jacob raised an eyebrow as he lowered my zipper and grinned as he looked at me.

"Do you really need me to answer that question, Rory?" he asked and I licked my lips as I felt him lift the hem of my sweater with his left hand before I felt his hot fingers slip between the soft cotton hem of my underwear and my skin.

"Oh my God," I breathed as I closed my eyes and bit my lip when I felt the tips of his fingers brush against my heated core. Jacob's left hand moved back to my butt while his fingers continued to tease me. I pulled on his hair in my right hand while I wrapped my left arm around his upper back to support myself a little better and rolled my hips into his hand/body.

"Open your eyes, Aurora," he said quietly and I opened my eyes just as Jacob slipped two of his fingers inside of me and I strangled in a gasp as my eyes met his. Jacob's gaze was intense as he looked back at me, his fingers doing wonders to my body as he stared at me. We said nothing to each other and aside from the wind rustling the trees the only other sound around us was my heavy breathing.

"Jacob," I whispered, feeling the inner muscles of my lower body starting to tighten as my right hand left his hair to rest on his chest. "J-J-Jacob," I stuttered out as I arched my back once more. Jacob's fingers moved faster inside of me as his mouth latched on to my exposed neck before he kissed his way up my neck and along my jaw before his mouth encompassed mine. I moaned into his mouth as I slid my right hand up his chest and wrapped it around his shoulder with my left arm as my mind exploded and pleasure rocked my body.

As I started coming back to reality and down from the euphoric high that always resulted in coupling with Jacob, he slowly broke the kiss while his fingers gently slipped out of me and he pressed his forehead against mine. Both of us were panting as my legs fell from around Jacob's waist, my rubbery muscles no longer able to function and keep my legs wrapped around him. Jacob and the tree were pretty much supporting my weight as we stood there together. My jeans were loose around my hips and my underwear was slightly rumpled and askew but I really didn't care as Jacob turned his head and kissed me chastely.

"I can't believe you just did that," I said quietly with a smile on my face when he pulled back. "Well, actually, after the last few days I can," I amended dryly and he chuckled as his grip on my hips tightened a bit, "but outside where anyone could have seen us?"

"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that, Rory," Jacob said with a challenging glint in his eyes and I laughed.

"You're right, I can't," I freely admitted.

"Plus, if someone did come up, they wouldn't have seen anything because you were completely covered," Jacob said. He had me there and I smiled up at him. "You know, I'm pretty sure that was the sexiest I have ever seen you. The look on your face and the sounds you were making . . . totally hot," he said and I laughed lightly once more as I felt a blush warm my cheeks.

"Totally," came a voice out of nowhere, agreeing with Jacob's statement. I stiffened as my hands slid down Jacob's chest and Jacob's head whipped around so he was looking over his left shoulder. I followed his eyes and saw a red faced Collin standing about twenty feet away his eyes widened when Jacob growled. Jacob let go of me and took several steps away from me, his entire body shaking so much that he looked like he was having a severe seizure.

"Run," he growled out before he literally exploded into his large russet wolf. Collin took off running deep within the trees as he to phased into his wolf and Jacob took off after him. For a second, I stood there dumbfounded until I gathered my wits and fixed my underwear and fastened my jeans. I was slightly worried about how much Jacob was going to hurt Collin, but my worry was quickly squashed when I remembered that Collin would heal fast and that he deserved whatever Jacob gave him for spying. However, I wasn't sure how Jacob hadn't heard Collin but then again I really shouldn't have been surprised because he was definitely a little preoccupied.

With still trembling legs I made my way back to the beach, completely surprised to see Gina and Embry amongst the others (including Melody and Paul) sitting with everyone else on the blanket. Everyone looked my way and I gave them all a tight lipped smile as I continued over to them. I knew I probably looked a mess and I had a feeling that the guys could tell what Jacob and I had been up to. Judging by the way Embry had his arm slung around Gina's shoulders and the smirk he had on his face Jacob hadn't been kidding when he said that Gina and him had similar thought patterns today.

"Where are Collin and Jacob?" Melody asked, a small frown on her face, as I sat down next to her on the blanket, ignoring Paul's grin as I did so.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly as I looked at her and she laughed as she looked at me.

"Sam sent Collin to get you and Jacob because you've been gone for almost an hour and a half," she said and I didn't get to answer her because a wolf howl echoed in the air. All the boys and Leah stiffened, while Melody sank in Paul's side out of slight fright. However, I quickly spoke so they all wouldn't go off running in alarm thinking something was wrong.

"It's all right," I said quickly and they all looked at me. Gina frowned at me but I turned my eyes to Sam. "Collin sort of . . .," I trailed off my face flaming as I looked at Sam and cleared my throat. "He sort of saw something he shouldn't have and Jacob and him are having a chat." Sam's eyebrows rose, but I knew thanks to the grin tugging at his lips that he understood what I was saying. As did the rest of the group because everyone started laughing quietly.

"A _chat_?" Gina asked. I looked at her, my face still red, and I was rewarded with what could only be described as a shit eating grin from my best friend. "Just what did he see, Aurora? Was someone being a naughty girl in the middle of the woods?"

"You're not really one to talk, G," I said defensively, my face still red, and Gina laughed.

"Maybe, but at least I own up to my naughtiness," Gina said before she turned her head so she was looking up at Embry. "Right, Em?" she asked and Embry's face turned just as red as mine, which made everyone, even Leah, break out into roaring laughter while Gina looked at me. "Well?" she asked as everyone continued to laugh. I rolled my eyes knowing the guys would end up finding out about everything anyway thanks to the stupid pack link. I might as well own up to it.

"What can I say, G, you've finally rubbed off on me," I said and Gina winked at me while everyone started laughing again. I couldn't wait for Jacob to get back, but I knew it was going to be a while since he was going to have go home and get some new clothes since what he had been wearing was nothing but shredded pieces of cloth lying on the forest floor; and same could be said for Collin. It was then that I realized the girls would likely notice that Jacob and Collin weren't wearing the same clothes they had been earlier, and I had no clue how to explain that away.


	25. Chapter 25

Hey everyone! I know this chapter is four days late, and I'm really sorry about that. For some reason I had a little trouble writing this chapter and I ended up writing the thing over several times. I hope you all like it though. Thanks for all of your reviews and adds. It really means a lot to me that you all are enjoying reading my story. Like I said, I hope you guys like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Two hours. That was how long Jacob and Collin had been MIA and I was getting seriously worried. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one because Sam's dark eyes kept wandering over to the tree line just like mine did. The bonfire was roaring and everyone was settled around it on the large fallen logs that the guys had gathered and put around the makeshift fire pit. Gina was still tucked into Embry's side as she carried on a conversation with Leah and Embry talked to Quil who was holding a slumbering Claire. Kim and Melody were talking, Kim tucked into Jared's side while Melody was tucked into Paul's

Everyone had eaten, Emily saving food for Jacob and Collin when they got back, but I hadn't been able to eat any of the food I had taken so I had passed it along to Embry. He had asked me about five times if I was sure I didn't want it before he finally dug in and ate the two hot dogs and chips I had put on my paper plate. Despite the roaring fire in front of me I was cold and my concern about Jacob and Collin wasn't allowing me to enjoy the night with my friends like I had been looking forward to doing since Emily had brought up having a party for the girls. I sighed heavily as I looked at the trees once more before I ran my hands over my jean clad thighs and stood from where I sat beside Sam and Emily. Sam looked up at me with a frown, and I answered his unspoken question.

"I can't sit around anymore," I said. "I'm going to look for them." Sam took a deep breath through his nose and nodded his head before he looked at Emily.

"I'm going to go with her," he said. "Will you be okay?" Emily gave him a small smile and nodded her head.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Go with Aurora, I don't want her walking around the woods alone any more than you do. It's too dark." He nodded his head, kissed her scarred cheek, and stood before the two of us headed towards the trees.

"Do you think they're still running around in their wolf forms?" I asked Sam in a quiet whisper as we entered the tree line and Sam sighed quietly.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised," he said before he looked at me. "I'm going to phase, so, wait here," he said and I nodded before he disappeared a little further into the trees. A minute later I heard a small growl and turned to see Sam's giant black wolf a walking towards me. I knew the growl wasn't meant for me, not sure how I knew but I did, so, I met him half way and came to a stop in front of him, my head tilting back slightly so I could look him in the eyes.

"Are they there?" I asked and Sam nodded before I crossed my arms over my chest. "I know you're alpha and everything, Sam, but tell Jacob I said that if he doesn't get himself together and get his ass back here in twenty minutes, we're going to have a serious problem." Wolf Sam let out a grumbling noise that over the last few months I had learned constituted as laughter. "Tell him I'm not joking and that Collin better be in one piece or what happened in the woods is going to be the last bit of action he sees for a long time."

I definitely wasn't sure if I could hold up to that promise, he had a way of melting my defenses after all with just a look or by brushing his fingers through my hair, but I would do everything I could to hold out. Wolf Sam's laughter only increased before he turned away from me and once again disappeared into the trees. I sighed as I uncrossed my arms and put my hands on my hips as I scanned the darkness around me before I heard Sam, in his human form this time, make his way over to me; and I turned my eyes towards him.

"I think that's the first time in over a year and a half that I've actually seen Jake afraid," Sam said, a full blown smile on his face as he looked down at me, and for a brief moment I was thrown for a loop. Sam didn't smile all that much. He was more of a grinner and smirked every now and again, but when he _really _did smile nine times out of ten it was directed at Emily. I had never been the recipient of one of Sam's real smiles and I had to admit it was kind of nice. I finally laughed at Sam's words and shook my head as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Was Collin all right?" I asked.

"He's fine," Sam said, "scared out of his mind, but fine."

"Jacob didn't hurt him?" I asked and Sam scoffed.

"Oh, Jake hurt him all right, but he's already healed," Sam said. "Jacob was . . . yelling at Collin when I phased in."

"Yelling?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and Sam grinned.

"Yelling, threatening severe bodily harm if he ever so much as glanced in your general direction for the next month; it's all the same right?" he asked and I smiled at him.

"In Jacob's world, yeah, it's all the same," I said and the two of us shared a laugh before I sighed yet again and moved over to one of the larger trees. I rested my back against it as I slid my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. The silence between Sam and I was comfortable as we waited for Jacob and Collin to come back, and we truly didn't have long to wait. Collin came trotting over to us first, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, and Sam chuckled before he ruffled the thirteen year old's hair, and I smiled when I noticed that Collin was very consciously looking anywhere but at me.

"Come on, Collin, let's join the others," Sam said before he put his hand on the boy's back and led him back through the trees towards the beach. My smile grew as I watched them walk away over my right shoulder before a pair of hot hands on my waist startled me.

"Jeez, Jacob," I said as I looked up at him before I laughed and rested my hands on his strong forearms. Even in the limited light I could see that he was glowering as he looked down at me, but I knew the sour look was not meant for me. He was still pissed at Collin, and I was well aware of that. "I was happy to see that Collin is still in one piece," I said, earning quiet growl from my boyfriend as his hands tightened on my waist before he pulled me forward, my chest pressing against his.

"I'm not," he said and rolled my eyes as I slid my hands up his arms and across his shoulders before I interlocked my fingers behind his neck. He was only dressed in a pair of jean shorts and tennis shoes, and I sighed quietly.

"I'm not defending him or anything, but think back four years when you were thirteen," I said. "If you would have happened upon a couple doing what we were doing, would you watch?" He stared at me hard for several long beats before he sighed heavily and turned his eyes away from me. "Yeah, that's what I thought," I said with a laugh and he chuckled before his eyes moved back to my face. I could feel his body relaxing underneath my touch and I smiled at him once more. "Thank you though for defending my honor," I said quietly before I shifted even closer to him and kissed him. I had intended the kiss to be a quick chaste one, but Jacob had other ideas as he deepened the kiss. I moaned quietly into his mouth before I pulled back from him, slightly breathless, and laughed. "Not again, mister," I said as I stepped out of his arms and held out my right hand to him. "Let's go," I said quietly and he sighed before he encased my hand within his and the two of us started heading back to the beach.

* * *

"You do realize that your boyfriend is borderline caveman possessive, right?" Gina asked as the three of us were crammed in the bathroom at my house, getting ready for bed that night, and I laughed around my toothbrush before I shrugged my shoulders. "However, I got to admit it was kind of hot, especially when he kept glaring poor Collin down all night. I thought he poor kid was going to wet himself." I rolled my eyes before I spit the toothpaste out of my mouth and rinsed before I put my toothbrush in its rightful place.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Melody chimed in and all three of us laughed.

"What about you and Embry, G?" I asked, and Gina smiled.

"Embry is a lot of fun girls," she said. "It's those quiet ones you got to watch out for. They're the ones that always surprise you in certain departments, and let me tell you Embry was a very pleasant surprise." Melody laughed and I shook my head quickly, my ponytail swinging behind my head as I did so.

"Please, spare me the details because I do not want to think of Embry that way," I quickly demanded and Gina laughed before she looked at Melody.

"When we were leaving tonight, did I hear right when I heard Paul ask you out, Mel?" Gina asked and I smiled at my blushing friend who nodded her heard.

"Yeah," Melody said before she looked at me. "You don't hate me for agreeing to go out with him do you?"

"Why would I?" I asked with a frown and she sighed quietly.

"Well, Gina and I came up here for the week to visit you. Not go on dates with totally hot guys," she said with a smile and I laughed.

"We don't have to spend every minute together, Mel," I said.

"It would have been really awkward earlier if we'd done that," Gina chimed in and I rolled my eyes as I looked at her, but she just smiled at me before she finished wiping the face wash from her face.

"Anyway," I said slowly, "Paul's a really great guy, Mel."

"I know," she said with a stupid smile and I laughed once more. "We're going to Port Angeles to see a movie and have dinner tomorrow night."

"Good," I said as I nodded my head. "You'll have a fun time."

"And I hope you don't mind, but Embry and I are going to be hanging out tomorrow too," Gina said and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? It'll give you a chance to spend a little more alone time with Jacob and maybe you can get him to calm down a bit by finishing what you two started today," she finished with a wink before she left the bathroom and I blushed lightly as I shook my head and looked at Melody who laughed at my expression.

"She seems to have gotten worse since I saw her last," I said and Melody laughed once again.

"It's because this is the first time you've actually had a guy in your life that she can give you a hard time about," Melody said and I smiled at her. "Aurora, could I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said before I looked away from her and grabbed my face wash.

"I didn't want to ask this with Gina around because she would just give me a hard time and say I was imagining things," she said and I looked at her after pumping some face wash in my left hand before setting the bottle back down on the counter. She was biting her lower lip and I frowned.

"What is it, Mel?" I asked as I rubbed my hands together and she sighed softly.

"Is there something different about the guys?" she asked quietly and I stopped soaping up my hands.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart starting to hammer away in my chest.

"Well, they're all so similar that it's kind of freaky," she said with a gentle shake of her head. "They all look like a lot older than they are. I mean, Collin and Brady are only thirteen and they look like their twenty. Plus, Paul feels like he's running an insanely high fever his skin is so hot and he looks at me . . . he looks at me like . . .," she trailed off and shook her head as she looked away from me, seemingly unable to find the right words. "He looks at me like Jacob looks at you," she said after a beat, her eyes returning to my face. "He looks at me the way Sam looks at Emily and Jared at Kim." I opened my mouth to say something, anything to try and play it down, but Melody cut me off. "Believe me, I'm not complaining but it's just weird since we haven't even known each other for a full twenty-four hours yet."

"Mel," I said softly before I took a deep breath, "as much as I want to tell you, I can't. It's something that Paul has to tell you himself. It's a . . . rule of sorts."

"But you know what it is," she said and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said.

"Is it bad?" she asked quietly and I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders at the same time.

"It all depends on your view of certain things, but to me . . . to me it's not," I said. "In fact, what's different about Jacob is what makes me love him even more." I finished with a small wistful smile as I looked at my friend before my smile slipped away and I took another deep breath. "When Paul tells you, Mel, you'll probably be seriously freaked out, but you don't have anything to be afraid of, okay?" I asked and she frowned slightly at me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked and I sighed. "You can't tell me, can you?" she asked exasperated.

"No, I can't," I said, "but I'll talk to Jacob and have him tell Paul that he needs to tell you everything. That you know something's up."

"Are you sure it's not anything bad, Aurora? The way you're talking makes it sound like it's something bad," she said and I shook my head.

"It's not bad, Mel, I promise," I said and she took a deep breath through her nose before she nodded.

"Good because I really, _really_, like him," she said and I smiled at her. She smiled back at me before she yawned. "Well, I'm going to head to bed. Hopefully, Gina won't hog the covers tonight." I laughed and Melody grinned before she wished me good night and left me on my own in the bathroom. The second I finished up in the bathroom, I was going to go in my room and call Jacob. He'd be happy that I was letting him come over, but he probably wouldn't be very happy with just why I wanted him to come over.

* * *

"Rory, baby, relax," Jacob said quietly as he stopped my pacing and grabbed me around the waist before he pressed me up against his bare chest. I sighed softly as I looked up at him, my hands rising to rest on his chest as I bit my lower lip, and his eyes flickered to my lips before his dark eyes settled with mine. "You've been tense all night," he said as his hands gently rubbed up and down my back.

"I know, I'm just . . . worried," I said and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"You don't have to be," he said softly, his hands settling on my upper waist once again. The house was quiet because Charlie was at work, Gina had just left with Embry, and Melody and Paul were also gone, leaving Jacob and I completely alone. He's spent the night, and when Gina and Melody had come in my room to get ready for their respected dates, poor Jacob had been hidden away in my closet and forced to listen to our girl talk. "When I talked to Paul this morning, he said he'd tell her today at the end of their date."

"What did Paul say when you told him that she knew something was up?" I asked.

"Nervous that he had to tell her so soon, but not surprised," Jacob said and I raised an eyebrow. "He said she's really smart and that he'd figure that he would have to tell her about everything sooner than he wanted to." Jacob chuckled as he slid his hands down my waist to grip my hips firmly in his hands as he tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why do you look so confused?" he asked.

"I didn't expect Paul to be so observant," I said and he righted his head as he shrugged his shoulders.

"They talked a lot yesterday, and Melody told him about where she wants to go to college and what she plans on doing with her life," Jacob said.

"How'd he take that?" I asked.

"He wants to do what he can to make it happen for her," he said, his dark eyes unwavering from mine. "Just like I'll do whatever I can to make whatever you want to do happen." I had not been expecting that turn in our conversation and I knew it showed on my face because his fingers tightened a bit on my hips. "What do you want to do, Rory? We've never really talked about what you want to do after high school."

"That's because I still don't know what I want to do exactly," I said. My thoughts on what I was going to do in the future were the same as they were the first day Jacob and I met. "I do know that I want to go to college, but I have no idea where or for what."

"It's something we should talk about, Rory," he said and I sighed softly as I slid my hands up his chest to rest on her shoulders before my right hand laced into his short hair on the back of his head.

"I know, but not right now, Jacob," I said softly.

"When then?" he asked.

"Soon, because I'm going to have to make some decisions in the next few months," I said as I massaged his scalp with my fingers, "and when I do, you're going to be right there with me helping me decide."

"Okay," he said after a beat and with a nod of his head. I smiled up at him before his hands slid down my hips and next thing I knew he lifted me from the floor, my legs wrapping around his waist while his hands settled on my backside.

"What are you doing?" I asked with a light laugh as I wrapped my left arm around his shoulders and he grinned as he turned around and walked over to my bed.

"We have the entire day to ourselves, Rory," he said before he climbed up on to my unmade bed on his knees before he laid me back down on the bed, his body still over mine as he put his hands on either side of my head. "If you think I'm going to let you leave this bed, you're nuts," he said and my heart palpitated in my chest as Jacob moved in and kissed me hard. All thoughts about how Melody was going to take the news and just what the future was going to bring went out of my mind because all I knew then was Jacob.

* * *

_Third Person POV_

Melody gnawed at her lower lip as she and Paul left the movie theater hand in hand and started walking down the street. "Did you like the movie, Melody?" Paul asked as he looked down at her and Melody released her lip and looked up at him, a smile coming to her lips as she did.

"I did," she said. "Did you?"

"The movie was okay," Paul said as he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "but the company was better." Melody laughed as she put her right arm around his mid back and settled in against his side as they walked.

"Good one," she said and Paul grinned down at her before he reluctantly turned his attention to the sidewalk ahead.

"So, do you want to eat now or do you want to walk around for a little while?" he asked.

"Could we walk?" she asked and he returned his eyes to her. "I sort of want to talk to you about something." Paul could hear the slight hitch in her heartbeat and he knew she was nervous, something she hadn't really been since after he had picked her up.

"Sure," he said. "Do you want to head over to the pier?" She nodded and the two of them walked in comfortable silence. However, the sound of Melody's racing heartbeat echoed in Paul's ears and in turn he too because nervous because he knew exactly what it was that Melody wanted to talk about. He wasn't sure if he was ready yet, in fact, if he would have had his way he wouldn't have told her until she was just about ready to head back to San Diego; but his imprint just had to be very observant and too smart for her own good to let him get away with that.

When they reached the pier, Melody slipped away from him and jogged lightly over to the railing, her long straight blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders as she did so. The sun was actually out that day and Paul stopped walking for a beat to just watch her for a minute. She wrapped her hands around the railing as she looked out at the water and the boats that were out here. She looked over her shoulder at him and Paul could have sworn she was an angel the way the sunlight hit her hair and made it look like a halo around her head, and when she gave him a small uncertain smile he was positive that he had never seen a more beautiful girl before in his life.

Squaring his shoulders, he quickly closed the distance between them and gently took hold of her right arm before he pulled her close to him. She gasped quietly as she tumbled into him, but she didn't pull away from him and her heart rate only picked up. Paul brought his right hand to the side of her face and brushed her hair out of her face before he cupped her cheek and took a deep breath.

"I know what you want to talk about, Melody," he said softly, his dark brown eyes holding her lighter brown eyes.

"You do?" she asked, her voice just as quiet and Paul nodded.

"Yeah, and I'll tell you anything you want to know, but I really want to do something first. I'm just hoping you'll let me," he said, his eyes wandering to her lips for a second before they returned to her eyes.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked and Melody blinked several times as she looked up at him before she smiled slightly.

"I'm sure you can, but do you want to?" she asked and Paul blinked before he frowned, which made Melody laugh a quiet breathy laugh. "It's 'may I kiss you,' Paul," she said and he scoffed a laugh as his thumb ran along her cheek.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Melody, _may_ I kiss you?"

"Yes," she breathed and the word was barely out of her mouth when Paul leaned down and his lips descended on hers.

The second his lips touched hers, Melody felt her knees grow week and her hands reached up to cling to Paul's shoulders to hold herself up while Paul's left arm wrapped around her back to do the same. When Paul finally pulled his lips away, Melody was barely breathing as she continued to hold on to him and he kissed her chastely before he completely moved back from her but kept her within his arms.

"That was amazing," she whispered as her eyes slowly fluttered open as she looked up at him, a smile on her swollen lips, and Paul smiled back at her.

"Yeah," he said softly with a pause, "it was perfect," he finished, still smiling at her as he ran his thumb along her jawline. He wanted to be able to do that again and again after he told her his secret, but when all was said and done he wasn't so sure he would. His smile slipped away and he sighed softly as he lowered his hand from her face.

"We should sit down somewhere," he said and Melody nodded her head as her hands slipped from Paul's shoulders. He was quick to take her left hand into his right as the pair went in search of a secluded place to sit; Paul hoping that his world wasn't about to come crumbling down around him.


	26. Chapter 26

I'm alive! Okay, I'm really very sorry for being MIA for almost a month but real life has sort of kicked my ass over the last few weeks. First, my mom (who isn't in the best health to begin with) was really sick and I ended up going to Nevada to spend some time with her. She's okay now and doing much better, which is a relief. However, when I got back home I ended up coming down with the flu and was hospitalized for two days for severe dehydration. It's been a rough few weeks, but things have calmed down and I spent the last two days working on this chapter and putting it all together for you guys. I don't know if anyone is even interested in this story anymore, but if you are, I hope you like this chapter.

Thank you all for your reviews and adds, I'm sorry I didn't respond last time. However, if you leave a signed review for this chapter, I promise to respond. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

"Aurora!" Melody shouted as she charged into my room and I let out a short scream as I pulled back from the kiss I had been sharing with Jacob and wrapped my blankets around my naked chest as I sat up and looked at the door with wide eyes. "Holy shit, I'm sorry!" Melody said with wide eyes. Her face was flushed and she looked like she had been crying, and my heart sank.

"It's okay," I said quickly, realizing immediately why she was so upset. "Go in the guest room and I'll be right there." Melody nodded her head before she rushed out of the room, closing the door hard behind her. I didn't even bother to look at Jacob as I ran my hand through my hair and climbed from the bed. "I don't think Melody took Paul's news all too well."

"Yeah," he said heavily and I looked at him after I pulled my discarded t-shirt on over my head. He was still lying back in my bed, hair disheveled, lips swollen, and a look that was an odd combination of satisfied and concerned.

"I'll talk to her," I promised as I tugged on my shorts before I climbed up on the bed and kissed him softly. "Wait here."

"I should go talk to Paul. He's outside," he said and I nodded before I kissed him once more and moved away from him, quickly climbing off the bed. I left my bedroom, closed the door, and went into what was now the guest room to see Melody pacing at the foot of the bed as she chewed on her left thumbnail.

"Mel?" I asked and she stopped pacing to turn and look at me. "Are you okay?"

"It's real, isn't it?" she asked. "He's not crazy, right?"

"It's real, Mel, and no, he's not crazy," I said as I walked over to her and she sighed heavily before she ran her hand down her face and flopped down on the foot of the bed. "What happened today?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

"Today was prefect," she said as she stared at the floor, a soft smile coming to her lips. "The best date I've ever been on actually and all we really did was talk during the drive to Port Angeles and saw a movie before the shit hit the fan." She turned her head to look at me, tears lining her light brown eyes.

"How much did he tell you?" I asked.

"He told me about the Quileute legends, that they're real, and that he, the rest of the guys and Leah, turn into giant wolves to protect their tribe from vampires, which also happen to be real," Melody said, her voice trembling slightly as her eyes begged for me to tell her otherwise.

"They're real too," I said in a whisper and she let out a small noise before she flopped back against the bed.

"How long have you known about all of this, Aurora?" she asked as she looked at me from her prone position on the bed.

"A while," I said. "Jacob told me a week after we met and I met him my first full day here. I know that it's _a lot_ to take in and wrap your head around, Mel, but once you do, dealing with it all becomes natural."

"How does dealing with the fact that your boyfriend turns into a wolf to kill vampires become natural?" she asked as she sat up, eyes once again wide, and I laughed lightly at the expression on her face.

"I don't know, it just does," I said as I shrugged my shoulders and she sighed heavily.

"It's not a very comical situation, Aurora," she said and I sighed.

"Look, Mel, when Jacob told me about what he could do it was right after his dad had spent over an hour telling their tribes' legends. So, when Jacob started to explain things to me, I put two and two together and figured it out on my own. Knowing Paul, he probably gave you a cliff notes version before he laid out the truth. I know you're probably scared and confused, but Paul will never hurt you in any way." I paused and Melody nodded her head slightly before she sighed yet again. "Did he tell you anything else other than the fact that he can turn into a large horse sized wolf?"

"Horse sized?" she aside with raised eyebrows and I nodded. She sighed again and shook her head. "That's all I let him tell me. I told him to shut up and bring me back here. He tried to talk to me in the car, but I wouldn't even look at him." I was familiar with that situation for my car ride back home with Jacob that night those few short months ago had been spent exactly the same way.

"When he told you about the legends, did he tell you about Taha Aki and Third Wife?" I asked and she frowned slightly as she looked at me. "Did he, Mel?" I asked again and she sighed as she shrugged.

"I don't know, Aurora, I'm so freaked out right now I'm lucky I know my name," she said and I sighed once again before I reached out and took her trembling right hand into both of mine. Tears lined her eyes again as she shook her head and I squeezed her hand firmly to reassure her.

"Mel, how do you feel when you're with Paul?" I asked her and she sniffed quietly as she furrowed her brow.

"What?" she asked.

"Before Paul told you his secret, how did you feel when you were with him?" I asked her again, my eyes never wavering from hers. After a short beat, Melody looked away from me and I could see her thinking of what her answer to that question really was.

"Safe," she said quietly and I smiled at the feeling she chose to say first. "I felt safe and he made me feel like I was . . . like I was the most important person in the world to him," she finished before she looked at me. "That sounds crazy right?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, Mel, it's not crazy because from the moment Paul's eyes met yours on Sam and Emily's porch the other day you _are_ the most important person in the world to him," I said and she frowned.

"I don't understand," she said and I took a deep breath and I let go of her hand before I stood and ran my fingers through my hair.

"It has to do with an ability they get after their, for the lack of a better way to describe it, spirit warrior gene is activated," I said as I stood in front of her and looked down at her. "They call it imprinting."

"Imprinting?" she asked and I nodded. "What does that mean?"

"It's when . . . it's when they find their soul mate," I said and Melody's eyebrows rose as she looked up at me. "Emily is Sam's imprint, Kim is Jared's, and I'm Jacob's," I said opting out of mention the fact that Quil imprinted on little Claire. That would only freak her out more and now that she seemed to be a little calmer I didn't want to risk it.

"Are you saying that Paul _imprinted_ on me when we first met?" Melody asked and I nodded. "So, what he feels for me and what I feel for him isn't real? It's just magic?" she asked and I shook my head negatively, but before I could answer her both of us were startled by an unexpected voice.

"No, Melody, it's real," Paul said and I looked to the door just as Melody stood from the foot of the bed to stand beside me and face the bedroom doorway where Paul stood. Jacob was just behind him, but my focus was on Paul who was shirtless and wearing what looked like a pair of the spare basketball shorts that Jacob kept in one of my plastic containers of clothes. Obviously, Paul's temper had got the better of him and I really wouldn't have been surprised if the second Melody had gotten inside the house he ran into the trees and blew up.

"I'm sorry I said anything, Paul, but I was just trying to help her understand," I said and he looked at me.

"I know, Aurora, and thanks," he said before he walked further into the room, shaking his head as he walked, "because I probably would have just screwed up again." His eyes returned to Melody and since she hadn't stepped back as he walked closer to us, I knew that she wasn't going to turn him away. "I'm sorry," he said as he stopped a few feet away from us and Melody shook her head.

"You shouldn't apologize because of something you can't help," she said quietly. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you." Since the pair was focused on each other, I slipped around Paul and walked over to Jacob who was standing just inside the bedroom door. He gave me a small smile before he wrapped his arm around my waist as I settled up at his side, my own arm wrapping around his lower back as I looked at Paul and Melody.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Melody," he said and I saw him raise his right hand, but he was quick to clasp his hand together before his hand fell back to his side. "I really shouldn't have expected anything different. You have every right to be afraid."

"Paul, I," Melody stared but stopped before I saw my usually reserved friend take a deep breath and square her shoulders as she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. "I'm not afraid of you."

"No?" he asked, not really believing her, and she shook her head.

"No, I'm not. It's just . . . one minute I'm on the best date I've ever been on with a guy that I can't even believe is remotely interested in me, and the next I find out he is a supernatural being that's forced to care about me because of that."

"I'm not forced to do anything, Melody," Paul said and a sudden wave of déjà vu hit me because their conversation at the moment was eerily similar to the one I had had with Jacob, "and I can honestly tell you that even if it wasn't for the whole imprinting thing, I would have been seriously interested in you." Melody's face flamed red as she averted her eyes to her hands, which were now clasped in front of her, but the small up turning of the corners of her lips did not go unnoticed. Paul took a step forward, closing the distance between them even more, and raised his right hand to her face. He tilted her chin up so she was looking at him once again.

"I would do anything for you, Melody, and I'll play whatever role in your life you want me to play," he said quietly and for a moment I felt terrible for watching the obviously intimate scene, but Jacob and I made no move to leave them just in case it started to go south again.

"What role do you want in it?" Melody asked, which was rather brave for her if you ask me.

"I want to _be_ with you; say you're my girlfriend if someone happens to ask if I have one. I don't want and will never want to be with anyone but you," Paul answered without any hesitation, "but with you living in California, I won't force you into anything. I can just be your friend if that's what you-," he made to continue but Melody had reached up and grabbed his face with a speed I didn't know the girl possessed. She pulled Paul's face down to hers as she rose up on her toes and kissed him solidly on the lips before she threw her arms around his shoulders and hung on. Paul was quick to respond and wrapped his arms around her waist before he lifted her from the floor with the same ease that Jacob always lifted me and returned her feverish kiss.

My face warmed as I looked away from the heated affection and up at Jacob who was grinning before he unwrapped his arm from around me and I lowered my arm from his back to allow him to take my hand. Leaving the pair on their own, Jacob and I went back into my room. Jacob walked over to my bed while I let out a heavy sigh as I rested my back against the cool wood of the door.

"Thank goodness that seems to have worked out," I said quietly before I pushed off my door and walked over to where Jacob stood at the foot of my bed.

"Yeah, from the sounds of things you may have to get Melody some new sheets before Gina will even consider sleeping in that bed tonight," Jacob said as he reached out and took hold of my hips while my hands moved to rest on his shoulders as my eyes widened.

"You're kidding," I said quietly, completely surprised by the fact that Melody and Paul were about to have sex and he shook his head.

"Nope. It's a good thing we walked out of there when we did because something tells me they probably wouldn't have even noticed we were standing there," he said before he grinned and cocked his head to the side. "Why didn't you have that kind of reaction when we talked everything out the first time?" he asked and I smack his chest as I pursed my lips, effectively only making my palm sting from the effort while he laughed and moved his hands so that his fingers were interlocked and resting on my lower back. "I'm just joking, baby," he said softly before he placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. "I like the way we started."

"You do?" I asked an eyebrow raised and he nodded. "Why?"

"I got to know you," he said. "Sure, I may have wanted to kiss you every single time you bit your lip or made that cute face you make when you're thinking or confused, but I liked being your friend first. I feel like it just made the relationship that we have now all that much stronger." My heart melted a little at his words and I smiled up at him until I felt his left hand slid down a bit before it took a firm hold of my backside.

"You know, that would have been a whole lot more meaningful if you hadn't grabbed my ass at the end there," I said with a slight shake of my head and he smiled at me before I suddenly found myself lying on my bed with Jacob hovering above me.

"I can't help it," he said with that certain smile that always made certain parts of my body come alive as he pinned my hands above my head. "We were interrupted just as round five was about to get started, and I'm tired of waiting," he said as he continued to hold my hands above my head with his left hand while his right snaked down my left arm. He took hold of my left breast, which was bra free thanks to my rush to get dressed, and squeezed, eliciting a gasp from me before his mouth seared over mine. It was then that round five began in earnest.

* * *

_Three Weeks Later_

Bella and Edward were still on their honeymoon, which was on an island off the coast of Brazil. In the weeks leading up to the wedding I had asked Alice where Edward was taking Bella and Alice had told me all about where they were going and the island. She and Jasper had also visited the island a few times, which was called Isle Esme. I didn't even have to ask the question before Alice had told me that Carlisle had bought the island for Esme, which was why it was named after her. The fact that Carlisle actually bought an island for his wife took a bit to wrap my head around, but when I had told Jacob he had just shrugged his shoulders as he told me that if he had the money he would buy a tropical island for me.

Bella hadn't called since she'd left for her honeymoon and it had been about a week since I had last visited the Cullen's house or heard from any of them. It was odd that Alice hadn't called, but I didn't think too much about it. I had been busy enough hanging out with Jacob and the pack since Gina and Melody had returned home. Charlie was on edge about not hearing from Bella, however, I had been able to put him at ease by saying that she and Edward were probably enjoying themselves too much to think to call home. I couldn't exactly tell him what I thought, which was that Edward was doing his best to control a blood thirsty newborn Bella.

"How's Paul been holding up?" I asked Jacob, to change the course of my thoughts while the two of us sat along our cliff, me wrapped up in Jacob's arms as we looked out at the ocean in front of us from our perch on a large rock.

"Surprisingly good," he said. "You know he talks to Melody every day."

"About four times a day according to Mel," I said with a laugh and Jacob chuckled before he kissed my right temple, "and every time I talk to Gina, she tells me to tell Embry hi. Apparently, he left a good impression."

"Yeah, you don't want to know the kind of impression Gina left on him," Jacob said and I full on laughed once again as I turned my head slightly and looked at him over my right shoulder. He grinned at me before he leaned into me and pressed a soft kiss on my lips before he sighed. "I hate that you start school on Tuesday," he said quietly as we looked at each other.

"I know," I said just as quietly, "I do too, but we'll survive." He chuckled as he nodded before he kissed me yet again, just as the alarm on my cell phone started going off. He groaned as he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. "Time to head back for Sunday dinner at your place," I said and he lifted his head, which allowed me to look away from him and turn off the ringing alarm. Jacob let his arms fall away from me then and I climbed down from the rock before I bounced on the balls of my tennis shoe clad feet and zipped up my light jacket before I held out my hand to him. "Come on," I said and he smiled at me before he swung his long legs around, took my hand, and stood from the boulder. Hand in hand we walked towards the trees, both of us taking it slow to enjoy our quiet time together a little longer.

* * *

"Charlie's already here," I said as I hopped off his bike, my feet sinking a bit in the mud, and took off my helmet while looking at the cruiser he had opted to drive over. I looked at Jacob and handed my helmet to him once he was standing and he laughed at me before he shook his head and hung my helmet on the handle. He took my hand into his and I laughed as I leaned against him and we made our way inside. Billy met us when we walked in and I smiled at him. "Hey Billy," I said happily and he gave me a tight lipped smile before he looked between Jacob and I. I felt Jacob stiffen beside me and my smile slipped away as I looked down at Billy.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked, suddenly on alert, and Billy shook his head.

"Bella called Charlie," he said quietly and I looked up to see Charlie looking out the living room window with a pensive and slightly worried look on his face. I let go of Jacob's hand and he let me walk away, knowing I was worried about Charlie and would find out what Bella had to say without his help.

"Hey," Charlie said as he turned to look at me. "Did you have a nice time with Jake?" he asked and I nodded as I brushed a few loose strands of hair that had escaped my braid from my face.

"Yeah," I said lightly. "Bella called?" I asked and he nodded with a heavy sigh as he tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"They're staying longer than they originally planned," Charlie said. "It seems she caught a bug. They want to wait until she feels better before they travel home."

"So, she's sick?" I asked and Charlie nodded.

"Yeah, she told me not to worry but she sounded," he stopped himself as he shook his head and looked at me hesitantly.

"She sounded like what?" I asked.

"I don't know . . . off, I guess," he said.

"She'll be okay, Charlie," came Sue's voice and I jumped slightly, startled by the woman. Even though I knew she was there, I hadn't really noticed her in the tiny house, but I looked over my right shoulder to see her standing by the table bowl in hand. "Let's eat while everything's hot," she said with a small smile.

Charlie moved and sat down at the table, however, my eyes moved to Jacob who didn't look all that pleased. I knew that he wanted to go to the Cullen's place and honestly so did I. So, I nodded subtly and Jacob held out his hand to me. I quickly walked over to him, put my hand in his, and the two of us were once again out the door. I knew Charlie was going to have questions later, but right then I wanted to talk to Carlisle to find out of Bella really was all right. We'd grown closer in the days leading up to her wedding and while she still wasn't my best friend or anything I wanted her to be okay. Plus, as I said time and time again, she was family.

"If Bella and Edward are back like I think they are, you're not going inside," Jacob said as he handed me my helmet. "With her being just turned, I don't want to chance-," he started but I silenced him by raising my right hand to the side of his face and kissing him. His hands found my jean clad hips and he grasped them tightly as he kissed me back before I slowly pulled back from him.

"There will be seven other vampires and you there to protect me if Bella can't control herself," I whispered as my blue eyes met his brown. "Nothing will happen." Jacob looked like he wanted to argue, but he just took a deep breath through his nose before he nodded his head. "Thank you," I whispered as I lowered my hand from his face and he turned away from me to climb on to the back of his bike while I fastened my helmet back on. I quickly got on behind him and I was no more settled on the bike with my arms around his waist and the two of us were back on the road.

* * *

When Jacob and I reached the Cullen's house, Carlisle was standing at the open front door before I even had my helmet off. Leaving my helmet on the bike, I jogged up the front stairs, with Jacob following closely behind me. "Carlisle, is Bella all right?" I asked breathlessly and Carlisle took a deep breath as Jacob ushered me inside, which allowed Carlisle to close the front door.

"She's . . .," at Carlisle's pause my concern for my cousin grew.

"Just give it to us straight, Doc," Jacob said, but before Carlisle could answer a voice from upstairs in the living room cut him off.

"Aurora? Jake? Is that you guys?" Bella, who sounded very ill to even my ears, asked.

"She is here then," Jacob said, his hold on my waist tightening.

"Yes. They returned last week, but it's not what you think," Carlisle said.

"So, Edward hasn't changed her yet?" I asked and he shook his head.

"No," he said softly and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding before I escaped Jacob's hands and headed towards the stairs. "Aurora," Carlisle called, but I just continued up the stairs knowing that Jacob and Carlisle would follow.

"What's going on?" I asked hesitantly when I saw all of the Cullens just standing, or in Alice's case sitting around, Rosalie seeming on guard and standing in front of where Bella was sitting on the sofa. "Bella, are you all right?" I asked as I started walking towards her, but Rosalie took a step forward.

"I'm sorry, Aurora, but you can't come any closer," Rosalie said, stopping me in my tracks and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What's your problem?" Jacob asked from behind me and Rosalie glared at him as I felt Jacob come up behind me, his hot hand coming to rest on my lower back.

"Rose, it's okay," Bella said and Rosalie sighed quietly before I left Jacob's comforting touch and walked around Rosalie to see a very pale and sick looking Bella. She actually looked almost gaunt and I was even more worried about her.

"Wow, Bella, are you okay?" I asked as I sank down onto the large ottoman that rested in front of the sofa.

"Yeah," she said tiredly. "I'm okay."

"Charlie's worried," I said and she sighed quietly. "I know you called him to try and put him at ease, but it didn't work." She shook her head and looked down at her hands, which even looked bony to me and I didn't understand how that was possible since I had seen her just three weeks ago. "Bella, what's wrong with you?" She looked at me then before she glanced at Jacob and took a deep breath, her eyes going to Rosalie.

"Rose, will you help me up?" she asked as she started to remove the blanket from her lap and that was when I saw it. I heard what I knew to be Jacob's sharp intake of breath as I stood right along with Bella as Rosalie helped my very pregnant cousin stand.

"How . . .," I said trailing off as I stared at Bella's stomach before my blue eyes found her brown. She gave me a weak smile as she put her hands on her stomach and I shook my head. "How is this even possible?" I asked.

"We didn't even know it was," Carlisle said and I turned around to look at him. Jacob was glaring at Edward and I didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking. He was blaming Edward for Bella's condition, but he was keeping his accusatory words all in his head where he knew only Edward would hear them.

"What is it?" Jacob asked as he turned his head to the right so he was looking at Carlisle.

"I'm not sure," Carlisle said and I frowned. "Ultrasounds and needles won't penetrate the embryonic sac." I heard Bella sit back down behind me as I did my best to quickly wrap my head around everything.

"I can't see it either," Alice said and I turned slightly to the right to look at her as she stood. "And I can't see Bella's future anymore."

"We've been researching legends, but there isn't much to go on," Carlisle said once again drawing my eyes to his. "What we do know is that it's strong, and fast growing."

"Why haven't you done anything?" Jacob asked. "Take it out of her! It's obviously killing her and who knows what it is exactly."

"This is none of your business, dog," Rosalie said.

"Rose!" Esme chastised and Jacob looked at the blonde beside me while Rosalie looked at her adoptive mother. "All this fighting isn't good for Bella."

"The fetus isn't good for Bella," Alice said and that did it for me.

"It's a baby!" I shouted as I clenched my hands at my sides. "All of you are talking like it's the Anti-Christ or something when it's just a little baby."

"Possibly," Jasper said as he walked up beside Alice and looked at me with a serious look on his face that was actually a little frightening. However, I wasn't going to let him intimated me.

"Oh my gosh, what else could it possibly be?" I asked as I looked around. "I'm not sure exactly how, logically anyway, it could even happen, but it happened and the only thing that makes sense is that it's a baby not some fire breathing monster." Jacob looked at me like I was crazy, as did everyone else except for Rosalie. My back was to Bella, but I hazard a guess that she was in agreement with me.

"Carlisle," Jacob said as he looked away from me and at the good doctor, "you've got to do something."

"No," Bella said firmly from behind me and I turned around to look at her. "It's not anyone's decision but mine."

"Jacob, I need to talk to you," Edward said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears if vampires could cry. We all watched him walk out and after meeting my gaze one more time, Jacob followed after him. Whatever the two were about to talk about was not going to be good, so, I fought against my urge to follow them and sat back down on the ottoman in front of Bella and looked at her.

Her brown eyes once again met my blue and I gave her a small reassuring smile before I reached out and covered her right hand with my left. She seemed surprise by the gesture of support, but was quick to take hold of my hand in her surprisingly cooler one. I gave her hand a small squeeze and decided then that whatever Bella wanted to do, I would support her one hundred percent. I just hoped that Jacob would understand in the end.


	27. Chapter 27

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I make you guys wait a month for an update and then only three days for the next, so, I hope that makes up for the long wait. :) I'm not so sure if this chapter is any good, but I hope you like it. Thank you all for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

None of the Cullens, aside from Rosalie (and possibly Emmett), seemed all that thrilled that I had taken Bella's side with the whole baby thing, and in all honesty I wasn't exactly sure why I had. However, I'd meant what I said and I wasn't going to take it back. Rosalie and I had moved Bella into another room, the sitting room just off the dining room and kitchen and settling her on a different sofa. I had taken off my jacket, draping it over the back of a chair as I moved to the windows and looked outside. From the windows in this room I could see Edward and Jacob talking and I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed quietly, wishing I could hear what they were saying.

"Aurora?" Bella asked quietly and I turned my head to look over my left shoulder to see my cousin looking at me. "Can I ask you something?" she asked and I uncrossed my arms and nodded my head before I walked over and once again sank down onto the chair across from her.

"Sure," I said as I gave her a small smile.

"Why are you with me on this?" she asked and I raised an eyebrow at the question. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you are, but I thought for sure that you would have sided with Jacob and everyone else about this."

"Truthfully, I really don't know but I know that what is growing inside of you right now is nothing more than a baby," I said. "Sure, it's growing rapidly and it looks like its sucking the life right out of you," I paused at Bella's quiet sigh before I shook my head and continued, "but _you_ want to go forward with the pregnancy. _You_ want to have the baby, and like you said earlier, it's no one else's decision but yours." She gave me a weak smile, one that I was barely able to return before I took a deep breath. "I'm not going to lie to you, Bella, I'm more than a little scared because you seriously don't look well and Carlisle is worried. I don't like to see Carlisle worried because to me that's obviously not a good sign."

"I know," Bella said quietly as she shook her head and put her right hand on her stomach, her engagement ring that rested on her right ring finger glittering in the weak light coming in through the windows. "But I think Carlisle will be able to change me once the baby's born. All this worrying will be for nothing because I'm positive it will all work out. I'm not scared and you shouldn't be either."

I took another deep breath and nodded my head before I looked down at my hands. I heard Jacob coming in the deathly quiet house, his boots scuffing their way across the wood floor after he pretty much stomped up the stairs. I looked towards the hall and saw him heading our way, which caused Rosalie to stand from the chair she had been sitting in and move towards the doorway, partially blocking Jacob's way in. I looked from Rosalie to Jacob who glared at the blonde before his eyes found mine. He looked less than happy with me, but he would just have to get over it because I was going to support my cousin's decision to have her half-vampire baby.

"Rose," Bella said, "I'm fine, really."

"Jacob won't do anything," I assured the blonde vampire as I looked away from my boyfriend and at her just in time to see Rosalie nod her head slightly. She turned around, glared at Jacob, and the silently made her way down the hall. Jacob's eyes settled on me once more and he sighed quietly as he walked into the room, taking off his brown leather jacket as he walked. He draped his jacket on the back of my chair before he took hold of my left hand and pulled me up from the chair. I was about to ask him what he was doing, but less than a second later he sat down in my chair before pulling me down so I was sitting on his lap. I rolled my eyes as I looked at Bella, who smiled and shook her head slightly before she looked at Jacob.

"I'm guessing Edward wants you to talk to me; convince me to get rid of the baby," Bella said and I looked at Jacob who sighed and gave her a small smile.

"Sort of," he said, "but I can't figure out why he thinks you'd listen to me. You never have before." I felt a little out of place sitting there on Jacob's lap and listening in, but his grip around my waist was like iron and I knew there was no way he was going to let me go. "Since when are you and blondie BFFs?" Jacob asked, obviously referring to Rosalie.

"Rose understands what I want," Bella said simply and Jacob shook his head.

"What are you thinking, Bella?" he asked.

"I know this seems like a scary thing, but like I told Aurora it's not. It's like this miracle or something. I feel him," Bella said and Jacob scoffed.

"So, it's a bouncing baby boy. I'm sorry I didn't know. I should have brought some blue balloons," he said sarcastically and I looked at him.

"Jacob, don't patronize her," I told him quietly and he looked at me a scowl set on his face.

"It's just a guess," Bella said, drawing both of our attention back to her. "When I picture him, I see a boy. We'll see."

"You won't," Jacob said.

"I can do this. I'm strong enough," Bella said assuredly and Jacob sighed.

"Come on," Jacob said before he shook his head. "You can spout that crap to your bloodsucker, but you don't fool me." He stood then, settling me on my feet before he took hold of my left hand into his right, holding it tightly as he looked down at Bella. "I can see what that thing is doing to you. It's a killer, Bella."

"You're wrong," Bella said.

"It's just a baby, Jacob," I said for what felt like the hundredth time that day and Jacob looked at me, shaking his head before he returned his eyes to Bella.

"And when you die, what was the point? What was the point of you loving him only to die _because _of him? How is that right; because I sure don't see it," Jacob said. "Listen to me, Bella, please don't do this. Think of Charlie. What's going to happen to him when you _really_ die?"

"Jake, everything's going to be okay," Bella said and Jacob shook his head before he grabbed his jacket and mine from the back of the chair. He turned away from Bella then, forcing me to follow him since his grip was still firm on my hand. "Jake, Aurora, don't go."

"I know how this ends," Jacob said as he came to a stop and looked at Bella. "I'm not sticking around to watch, and I won't let Aurora watch it either." I let him lead me outside without a word because through our joined hands I could feel the slight tremble in his body.

"Jacob, you need to calm down," I said quietly as we walked outside and he rushed down the stairs towards his bike. He tossed our jackets aside and let go of my hand before he rounded on me.

"How in the hell can you be okay with this? You know that thing is killing her, that it's going to be the death of her, and you're supporting her. How can you do that when you know that she's not going to live?" he asked and I sighed quietly and shook my head.

"You don't know that for sure," I said and Jacob growled before he startled me by grabbing me roughly by my upper arms.

"The hell I don't," Jacob said and I blinked rapidly as I looked up at him. "That thing inside of her is killing her, one of the two people you've got left in your family, and you're totally fine with it."

"Of course I'm not fine with it," I said, doing my best to ignore the fact that Jacob's grip was so tight on my arms that I could already feel the bruises forming under his hands, "but it's not my decision, Jacob, it's Bella's. The best thing for me to do is support her in it because it doesn't seem like she's got all that much of it."

"The best . . . the best thing you can do for her is to try and convince her to let Carlisle get it out of her," Jacob said. "We don't even know if it's really going to be just a baby like you keep saying, Aurora. It's probably going to be some blood thirsty monster that once it's finished off Bella will do who knows what to satisfy its thirst."

"I don't believe that. It's not some monster, Jacob. It's a baby," I said as I shook my head, "and I'm going to be here for her, and you can't stop me."

He growled at me before he squeezed my arms and shoved me back so hard that I stumbled back, tripping on the first stair that led up to the Cullen's house and crashing to the stone step on my butt. I tried to hold back my wince and gasp of pain, but failed and I saw some indiscernible emotion flash through Jacob's anger filled eyes before he turned away from me. His shoulders were literally vibrating as he let out a roar and kicked his bike, sending it in the air and crashing on the other side of the Cullen's gravel driveway, before he took two fast steps and leaped into the air. He phased before he hit the ground, what was left of his clothes and boots fluttering to the ground, and he took off into the trees growling and grumbling as he disappeared from my sight.

Tears filled my eyes as I watched him go and the fell in rapid succession as my lower lip trembled. Jacob had been angry with me before, but I had _never_ seen him that angry and while I knew he hadn't hurt me on purpose my throbbing arms and aching backside was all the more proof that he was absolutely pissed at me.

"Aurora, are you all right?" came Alice's voice before my small vampire friend was kneeling down beside me, her cold hand resting gently on my left shoulder blade.

"No, Alice," I said quietly, my voice breaking and trembling from my tears. "I am far from all right," I managed before a sob broke through my lips and Alice was quick to carefully wrap her arms around me.

"Come on. Let's get you inside," she said gently before she pulled back and helped me to my feet. I was still crying, but a wave of calm washed over me, signally that Jasper was near, and I nodded my head. As I turned, it was then that I saw Jasper and in his hands were my jacket as well as Jacobs and, oddly enough, as if he knew what I was thinking he held out Jacob's brown leather jacket to me. Through my now silent tears, I gave Jasper a weak smile before I took Jacob's jacket and pulled it on. I was surrounded with his warm familiar scent as I followed Alice inside with Jasper bringing up the rear.

* * *

"He'll come around, sweetheart," Esme said soothingly as I sat at the island in the Cullens' kitchen, plate of barely touched food that Esme and Carlisle had prepared for me in front of me.

"I know that on some level you agree with him, Esme, but you also understand where I'm coming from, don't you?" I asked as I looked at her and the caramel haired colored woman gave me a warm smile as she gently brushed my hair from my face and nodded her head.

"I do," she said softly. "We all do. Eat, and once you're done I'll have Emmett take you home so you can get some rest. School starts the day after tomorrow and you need to be well rested." I sighed heavily and nodded my head as I gave Esme a weak smile. She gently patted my back before she left me on my own and I sighed yet again as I sat back on the stool and wrapped my arms around my stomach, wincing as my biceps and triceps protested the movement. I had yet to check my arms, but I knew that there were deep bruises from where Jacob had grabbed me and that my arms would be very sore for a good long while.

"I'd hoped that either you or Jacob would be able to talk some sense into her," came Edward's voice from behind me and I sat up straight before I looked over my right shoulder.

"Edward, I really don't feel like having this conversation again," I said heavily before I looked away from him and rested my forearms on the counter in front of me after I pushed the plate slightly away from me. "Dealing with Jacob was bad enough. I don't want to have to deal with you too."

"I don't understand how you can support this decision," he said from right beside me and I looked up at him.

"I don't understand how you can't," I said and he furrowed his brow. "Bella is carrying _your_ child, Edward, and I know you don't think she is, but I think she's right to do it. She's strong enough to do this, and I'm not going to doubt her, not when she needs all the support she can get."

"She's going to die, Aurora," Edward said, his voice shaking as he looked at me. "When she gives birth to that thing, it will kill her."

"Carlisle will be able to change her before that happens," I said and Edward shook his head.

"The chances of that actually working are slim at best, Aurora, and-," Edward stopped talking and looked towards the patio window.

"What?" I asked, but he didn't answer me. "What is it?" I asked and finally his gold eyes turned to me.

"Jacob's here," he said and I blinked at him before he disappeared out onto the patio. Food completely forgotten, I followed after Edward as quickly as I could but before I was even outside Edward was already heading back in. I let him pass me and moved towards the railing and looked out into the woods. Sure enough Jacob was standing a good distance away from the house and to my surprise Seth was standing not far behind. Despite my simple human sight I could see Jacob's entire body tense as his eyes landed on me, and he took a step towards the house only to be stopped by Leah appearing out of nowhere. Barely a minute later howls echoed in the distance and my stomach twisted as my heart started to race because something told me that all hell was about to break loose.

* * *

A Cullen family meeting was called, the only people missing were Alice and Rosalie who were tending to Bella and trying to get her to eat, which wasn't going over all that well.

The second Jacob had entered the house, he took hold of my hand and had yet to let go. He hadn't said a word to me as he sat down in front of the burning fireplace near where Carlisle and Esme were settled on a sofa while Jasper and Emmett stood behind it. Edward sat in a chair across from the sofa while I was perched next to Jacob, his hand still holding tightly on to mine. While I was still mad at him for how he had treated me earlier, holding his hand and being close to him gave me a sense of comfort that I needed at the moment. No one had clued me in on just what the hell was going on yet, and despite Jacob's comforting presence I couldn't shake the terrible feeling that had settled into my stomach.

"Sam's lost the element of surprise, and he doesn't want to take you on outnumbered so he's not going to come at you head on. He's got the place surrounded and he'll wait for his opportunity," Jacob said as he looked at Carlisle. Since I was still out of the loop that everyone else around me seemed to be in, I couldn't help but speak up.

"Opportunity for what?" I asked and he along with everyone else looked at me. Apparently, no one wanted to be the one to tell me since they all just looked at me with troubled expressions on their faces. "Seriously, what's going on? What does Sam want to do?"

"Sam wants to eliminate the threat," Jacob said quietly after a few more quiet beats and I frowned.

"Eliminate the . . .," I started but stopped. "Wait, you mean he wants to _kill_ Bella?" I asked sharply my eyes locked with Jacob's as he gave me a curt nod. "I don't understand. _Why_ would he want to kill Bella? She's human."

"The thing inside of her isn't," Edward said quietly and I quickly turned my head to look at him and his eyes met mine for only a second before I shook my head and looked at Jacob once again.

"So, he's what, going to wait until they're at their most vulnerable and attack taking all of them out in one swoop. What did you say to him to make him go to that extreme?" I asked Jacob, glaring at him.

"I didn't say anything to him, Aurora," Jacob said tightly. "The thing inside of Bella is a threat to the tribe and all humans, including you, in the area. He wants to get rid of it before it has a chance to do any damage."

"So his solution is killing Bella," I stated more than asked and Jacob took a deep breath through his nose before he slowly let it out, clearing his throat awkwardly when he finished.

"They won't get through without a fight," Emmett said and I looked at him.

"No fights," Carlisle said, drawing my eyes to him. "We won't be the ones to break the treaty."

"The treaty is void; at least in Sam's mind," Jacob said as he shook his head.

"Not in ours," Esme said.

"Carlisle, none of us has hunted for weeks," Emmett said, which caused Jacob's hold on my hand to tighten even more.

"We'll make do," Esme said simply. If the Cullens hadn't hunted for weeks, that meant that all of them were weak. If Sam did end up attacking and they had to defend themselves, it would not end well for the vampires because they would be at a severe disadvantage.

"You've done us a great service, Jacob. Thank you," Carlisle said, breaking me from my thoughts for a moment before I was once again lost to them.

I couldn't believe that Sam and the others, all of whom I considered my friends, were hell bent on killing my cousin. It felt like my mind was spinning out of control, because I had no idea what to think. I was worried about Bella and the Cullens, but at the same time I was worried about the pack. Even though they were in the wrong on this, I still didn't want to see any of them hurt; especially Embry and if anything happened to Paul, I couldn't imagine what Melody would do.

"Aurora," Carlisle said and I looked at him, "I'm afraid you'll have to drive yourself home this evening. I'm sure Edward would not mind if you borrowed his car for the night."

"I want to help," I said as I shook my head.

"There's nothing you'll be able to do," Jacob said and I turned my eyes to him, mouth open and ready to argue, but I didn't get the chance to say a word.

"Jacob's right," Edward said and I sighed as I looked at him, "and Charlie is probably waiting for you to return home."

"But-," I started, but didn't get to finish.

"No buts this time, Rory," Jacob said as he stood, pulling me with him before he caught a set of keys that Edward tossed at him. "Come on," he said as he pulled me along and I really had no choice but to follow. We walked in silence until we walked into the Cullen's garage and over to Edward's Volvo, where I finally broke the silence.

"So, are we going to ignore the fact that you manhandled me and threw me down like a ragdoll during your little hissy fit earlier or are we actually going to talk about it?" I asked as Jacob let go of my hand finally and opened the car door. He paused then and looked at me, regret clear as day in his dark eyes but a scowl was set on his face.

"You know I didn't mean to do any of that," he said. "I was angry."

"What are you going to do the next time I get you angry, Jacob? Phase on me and rip my head off?" I snapped and the next thing I knew Jacob had closed the car door and had me pinned against it with his hands on my hips. I instantly wished I hadn't said that. Not because I was scared of Jacob but because of the pain that was in his eyes; pain that I put there because I wanted to be spiteful.

"Don't," he growled out as he shook his head slightly. "I already hate myself enough for what I did to you, Aurora. I'm sorry."

"No, Jacob, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It was a low blow and wrong," I said quietly my hands rising to rest on his black t-shirt clad chest. Jacob sighed heavily as he shook his head and leaned forward pressing his forehead to mine. His entire body was tense and I smoothed my hands over his chest before I slid my hands up to rest where his neck met his shoulders. It was then that I realized something that once again threw me for a loop and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. At hearing it, Jacob lifted his head from mine and looked at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Jacob, how . . . how did you go against Sam? He's your alpha," I said and Jacob took a deep breath before he shook his head once again.

"Actually, I'm the true alpha," Jacob said and I blinked at him in surprise.

"What?" I asked quietly and he grinned at my obviously surprised face, his grip shifting a bit on my hips.

"I'm the grandson of a chief, Rory," he said. "I didn't want the responsibility of being alpha, so, I let Sam keep the job."

"So, you . . . you broke your link to Sam and the others," I said and he nodded.

"Seth and Leah too," he said and I sighed softly as I shook my head. "They're . . . they're part of my pack now."

"What's going to happen, Jacob? Are you really going to have to fight Sam and the others?" I asked and he nodded once more.

"Yeah," he said and I closed my eyes.

"This is all just so messed up," I said.

"It's going to be okay, Rory," Jacob said and I opened my eyes.

"Do you really think that?" I asked and Jacob sighed before he shook his head and looked away from me.

"No," he said honestly and I nodded even though he wasn't looking at me. After a beat, he returned his eyes to mine, his jaw set. "I want you to stay home, Rory. I don't want you coming around here and chance you getting hurt when everything goes down."

"I'm not going to do that, Jacob," I said as I shook my head. "I'll go to school and then I'll come by here afterwards for a few hours before I'll go home." He was going to argue, but I cut him off. "Besides, the guys won't intentionally hurt me, will they?" I asked.

"No, it's our most sacred law that an imprint cannot be harmed," Jacob said.

"Then I should be here as much as possible," I reasoned and Jacob's grip on my hips tightened.

"No," he said firmly.

"Jacob," I started, but he cut me off with a searing kiss; using my usual tactic to get him to agree to whatever I was saying against me for a change. Jacob's lips were demanding and rough against mine, but not overly so. There was raw emotion in that kiss and I clung to him as I kissed him back.

"I won't risk it," he breathed when he finally tore his lips from mine. "I can't lose you, Aurora."

"You won't," I said, my blue eyes meeting his brown. "If something happens while I'm here, I'll hide in a closet or something," I joked, trying to lighten the dark mood that Jacob was in but he didn't smile. The corners of his lips didn't even twitch. "I want to be here for Bella, Jacob. Let me at least do that."

"Okay," Jacob said quietly and I kissed him chastely.

"Thank you," I said and he kissed me again, but not nearly as long as I wanted him to.

"What are you going to tell Charlie?" he asked as he moved me away from the car and let go of me before he opened the car door once more.

"That we went to talk to Carlisle to see if he knew just what was wrong with Bella," I said. "If he asks anything else, I'm going to wing it. Hopefully he'll believe me and I'll put him at ease so he's not so worried about her." Jacob nodded and handed me Edward's keys before he stepped aside for me to climb into the car. I did so and let out a soft sigh as I looked up at him. "Be careful, Jacob."

"I always am, Rory," he said as he leaned down on the door and placed a warm kiss on my forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too and I'll see you tomorrow," I said and he nodded as he pulled back and closed the car door. After putting on my seatbelt, I started the car while Jacob opened the garage door. I waved at him as I pulled out and he waved back. I had no idea what was going to happen in the coming days, but I could pray that everything would work out in the end.


	28. Chapter 28

Guess who's on a roll? Three chapters in one week is pretty good for me after that long wait! Anyway, thank you all so very much for your reviews and thank you to those of you that added my story to your favorites/alert lists. I hope you all like this chapter and, as always, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"Carlisle said that we really don't have any cause to worry," I said as I sat on the sofa beside Charlie who had pretty much cornered me the second I had walked into the door demanding to know where Jacob and I had gone off to. "He talks to Bella's doctors every day and they send him any lab results or scans they take for him to review," I continued and Charlie sighed heavily before he ran his hand down his face and returned his brown eyes to my blue. "He told me that if she's not showing any signs of improvement soon, that he'll fly down."

"Good," Charlie said quietly as he nodded his head. "If there's one doctor in the world I know I can trust with my daughter, it's Carlisle."

"Yeah," I said quietly, completely agreeing with Charlie on that one. I drew my long legs up onto the couch with me, tucking them in before I wrapped my arms around my shins and rested my head on the back of the couch while I looked at Charlie.

"So, why did you drive Edward's car home? How come Jake didn't give you a ride home?" Charlie asked and it was my turn to sigh.

"There was a problem with his bike," I said, thinking quickly. "Carlisle said I could borrow Edward's car."

"That was nice of him," Charlie said and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm going to take it back tomorrow while Jacob's finishing working on his bike, and he'll give me a lift home once he's done."

"I don't want you over there too late, Aurora," Charlie said. "School starts on Tuesday."

"I know," I said a small smile coming to my face as Charlie went into 'dad' mode. "I'll be home early, I promise." Charlie smiled at me before he chuckled quietly and I lowered my legs back down.

"Do you have everything you need for the start of school?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yep," I said. "I got everything when I went shopping with Kim and her mom last weekend in Port Angeles."

"Good," he said, once again nodding. Both of us turned our attention to the TV then, the evening news starting to air. However, my mind wasn't on the night's lead story or how it was possible for the anchor woman's hair to be so high and _not_ move. My mind was on Jacob, Bella, and the others; and what was going on at the Cullens' place at that moment. Before the first story was even over, I decided my time would be better spent up in my room where I could pace out my worry and not alert Charlie to there being anything wrong. So, with the lame excuse of being tired I bid Charlie good night, kissed his cheek, and made my way up to my room.

I'd hung Jacob's jacket up on the hook in the foyer when I came inside, and thankfully Charlie hadn't noticed that I had been wearing Jacob's jacket. Well, if he had, he didn't say anything; and I had been thankful that I'd worn a long sleeved sweater that day so I didn't have to worry about Charlie noticing the bruises that I knew rested on my upper arms. After closing my bedroom door, I walked over to my dresser and pulled out one of Jacob's t-shirts from the drawer that I had deemed his since the sleeves of his super huge shirt would hide my arms and I wouldn't have to worry about covering the bruises and still being comfortable.

After grabbing my black pajama pants, I tossed both items onto my bed before I started to disrobe and change. Sure enough I already had dark hand shaped bruises around both of my upper arms and I sighed quietly as I looked at the darkened flesh and sore muscles. I probably should have been a hell of a lot angrier at Jacob, given him a harder time, and not forgive him as quickly as I had; but after everything I didn't have it in me to be angry at him anymore. However, I _knew _it definitely was the first and last time that Jacob ever did anything like that to me because Jacob was disgusted with himself and it was highly likely that he would cut off his own hand before he'd ever put his hands on me like that again.

Once I was changed, I tossed my dirty clothes in the hamper and left my room. I padded my way into the bathroom where I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and unbraided my hair before I brushed it out and threw it up into a sloppy bun on the back of my head. With that done, I went back into my room just as my cell phone, which I had put on my dresser, started vibrating. I closed my bedroom door and quickly rushed over to my phone and picked it up; frowning when I saw that it was Melody calling me.

"Hello?" I asked after hitting the answer button and Melody's voice was quickly in my ear.

"_Aurora, what is going on up there?"_ Melody asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked and I heard her take a deep breath.

"_Paul called while I was at dinner with my parents and left me a message saying that he's not going to be able to talk to me for a while. That something big is going on, but not to worry and that he'll call me as soon as he can,"_ Melody said and I sighed quietly as I sat down on the side of my bed.

"It's nothing, Mel," I said, dancing around the subject as best I could and hating myself for not telling Melody everything since she had a tiny right to know. However, since Paul hadn't said anything to her I didn't feel it was my place to do so. "Everything's under control and Paul's going to be fine, so, he was right in telling you not to worry."

"_Are you sure?"_ she asked, not sounding convinced in the slightest.

"Yeah," I said. "It's really just a little vampire drama that the guys are handling. However, like I said, everything's under control."

"_Okay,"_ she said softly after a brief silent pause. _"Will you call me and let me know what's going on and if Paul's okay?"_

"Of course," I said.

"_Thanks,"_ she said quietly. _"So, how are things with you and Jacob since I talked to you the other day?"_

"Good," I said as I ran my hand over the top of my head. "I'm not looking forward to starting school on Tuesday because that means less time during the day with him, but that's probably a good thing. Pretty soon Charlie's going to start thinking I'm co-dependent or something." That got a laugh out of my friend and I smiled.

"_I hate to be the one to tell you this, Aurora, but you kind of are,"_ she said and I laughed quietly.

"I guess so," I admitted, earning another chuckle from her. Our conversation changed then, with Melody telling me of Gina's recent adventures. It was nice to have the distraction for a while and it wasn't until it was almost midnight when we ended our call, and by then I finally was starting to feel tired. So, I put my phone on my nightstand, set my alarm for seven in the morning, and turned off my light before I climbed into my bed.

It felt odd to lay in my bed without Jacob. Of course he didn't spend the night with me _every _night, but usually it was every other night and he hadn't spent the night last night because Sam had him patrolling. I was used to lying in my bed either wrapped up in Jacob's arms around me as we spooned or snuggled up to his side and lying with my head on his chest. However, I knew it would be a while before I would spend my nights like that because Jacob wouldn't be leaving the Cullens' place anytime soon. He was on full alert with Seth and Leah. Even though I was tired I couldn't get myself to fall asleep. My mind was going a million miles an hour again, and the peace my conversation with Melody had given me was long gone.

Sighing heavily I sat up, turned on my light, and grabbed my phone from my nightstand before I rested my back against my pillows and the headboard of my bed. I unlocked the screen of my phone and paused to smile at the image on the screen. It was a photograph of Jacob and me that he'd taken using my phone last week while we'd been at our spot. It was one of those cheesy shots where the right side of my face was pressed against his left and the both of us were smiling like complete idiots for the camera as the sun, which had actually been out that day, was setting behind us. It certainly wasn't the best photo _I_ had ever had taken of me, but it had quickly joined my top ten favorite photographs because both of us looked so happy. Looking at the picture couldn't help but make my chest warm and bubble with the very happiness I'd been feeling that afternoon, and I my smile remained on my face as I went to my contacts list and selected the first name in my contacts.

"_Aurora, is everything all right?"_ Alice asked rather than the standard 'hello.' However, Alice usually opened with that question with me since she was completely blind in all matters that concerned me even when Jacob wasn't around. Apparently, since my future was permanently tied to him I was just like Jacob and the other shape shifters to Alice's visions: a blind spot.

"Yeah, Alice, everything is perfectly fine on this front," I said. "I just can't sleep and since I know you don't sleep, I thought I'd give you a call." Alice let out a soft tinkling laugh and I could just see her shaking her head at me.

"_I see,"_ she said lightly.

"So, how are things over there?" I asked before I nervously chewed on my lower lip.

"_No different than when you left earlier tonight,"_ she said. _"Seth had mentioned earlier that he, Leah, and Jacob can feel that the other wolves are close, but they can no longer hear them and the others are staying far enough away that Edward can't hear them either."_

"Is Bella asleep?" I asked.

"_Yes, thankfully, she's resting," _Alice said. _"Edward is with her now."_ I nodded my head even though she couldn't see me before I asked my next question.

"How are they?" I asked quietly knowing Alice would know exactly who I was taking about.

"_They're fine,"_ Alice said. _"Seth and Leah are sleeping right now while Jacob's keeping watch outside."_

"Alone?" I asked sharply, my heart lurching in my chest.

"_Don't worry, Aurora, Seth and Leah are sleeping outside in their wolf forms. They'll be up and at the ready faster than you can blink should anything happen tonight,"_ Alice said reassuringly and I let out a heavy sigh. _"So, what time should we expect you tomorrow?"_ Alice asked and I scoffed a soft laugh.

"Probably between eight-thirty and nine," I said.

"_Well, if you're going to be here then, you need to get some sleep. It's almost one-thirty,"_ Alice said and I sighed yet again.

"I know that, Alice, but like I told you before I can't sleep."

"_Maybe this will help,"_ she said and I frowned.

"Maybe what will-," I started to ask, but was cut off by a new voice on the other end of the line.

"_Rory?"_ Jacob asked and I closed my eyes. I may have last seen him barely six hours earlier, but it felt like a lifetime ago thanks to the fact that I hadn't' been able to stop thinking and worrying about everything and anything.

"Jacob," I whispered.

"_It's late, Rory, why aren't you asleep?"_ he asked.

"I can't sleep," I said as I opened my eyes and looked at nothing in particular.

"_Try,"_ he said quietly. _"You'll be here in the morning and I honestly don't believe that Sam and the others are going to do anything tonight. We'll be fine here, so, stop your worrying and get some sleep."_

"Is that an order, Mr. Alpha?" I found myself asking and I was rewarded with a soft chuckle from Jacob.

"_Do I need to make it one, Aurora?"_ he asked and I smiled.

"No," I said quietly. "Now that I know for sure that everything's okay, I think I'll be able to sleep."

"_Good,"_ he said gently.

"I love you," I said.

"_I love you too," _he said back and I smiled once more. _"Good night."_

"Night," I said before I lowered the phone from my ear and hung up with yet another sigh. I returned my phone to my nightstand, turned off the light, and laid back down, wrapping my arms tightly around my pillow as I did so. It took a little while longer, but I finally started to drift off to sleep and welcomed the darkness for at least a few hours.

* * *

I woke up screaming at six in the morning and Charlie had bolted up into my room, hair askew and looking ready for a fight only to relax upon seeing me alone in my room, but when I started crying hard he was quick to rush to me and take me into his arms. He'd done his best to comfort me, rocking me gently and telling me that it had only been a dream and that I was okay, but I had simply clung to him and cried for a good ten minutes before my tears had finally subsided.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," I whispered as I pulled back from him and wiped at my tar stained face and sniffed as I looked at him. He frowned and shook his head before he raised his hand and gently pushed my hair that had escaped my bun while I slept from my face.

"It's okay," he said. "Bad dream?" he asked even though he already knew the answer to that question. My dreams that night had not been pleasant at all. They were more like nightmares really and all I saw was Sam and the others killing Bella and the Cullens in a variety of different ways. However, the last one, the dream that had made me wake up screaming had been the worst.

"_Really_ bad," I said and he sighed softly before he hugged me again. I hugged him back and closed my eyes tightly as I tucked my head into his shoulder.

"You're safe, Aurora," he said gently as his hand rested on the back of my head, but Charlie had no idea it wasn't me that I was worried about.

"I know," I said into his shoulder before I sniffed again and pulled back from him, "and I really am sorry for waking you like that, Charlie."

"Don't be, Aurora, it's okay," he told me again as he gave me a tired reassuring smile. I managed a weak smile back before I nodded my head. "Well, since I'm up I should get moving. I have to work today." I nodded again and a look of concern settled once again on Charlie's face. "Are you going to be okay? You still look . . . rattled."

"I'll be okay, Charlie," I said. "I think I'm going to go for a run to clear my head."

"Okay," he said before he stood. He paused as turned to leave before he turned back to me and placed a fatherly kiss on my forehead that made me smile before he left me on my own once more. I sighed heavily as I ran my hand over the top of my head and climbed from my bed.

A quick run, maybe two miles only, would do me good and when I got back home I would try and eat something before I took a shower and got ready to head over to the Cullens'. I would be early, but I doubted any of them would care. I needed to see Jacob, but I needed to get myself together first because he would be able to tell that something was wrong and I didn't need him worrying about me when he already had enough on his plate.

* * *

"You're early," Edward said easily as he opened the front door for me and I forced a smile as I handed him his keys. However, Edward frowned as his darkened eyes scanned my face. "What's wrong?" he asked as he closed the door behind me and I shook my head.

"Nothing," I said, doing my best to keep the smile on my face. My run hadn't helped at all because even with my running music blasting in my ears and the road in front of me all I saw as I ran were flashes of my nightmares and all the _death_ I had seen in them. Thankfully, I managed to keep those thoughts from my head as I looked away from Edward and pulled off Jacob's jacket, which I had worn again since I had left my jacket there last night.

"You know that you cannot lie to me, Aurora," Edward said as he moved a little closer to me and I tilted my head back slightly, my eyes meeting his as I draped Jacob's jacket over my left arm.

"I just had a rough night, Edward," I said telling him the truth without giving him any details. "I'm fine." He wasn't satisfied with my answer, but I could tell he was going to let the matter go for now. "Where's Jacob?"

"Leah and Seth took over watch from him about an hour ago," Edward said. "He's asleep outside."

"Thanks," I said quietly before I made my way through the quiet house and out the first floor patio door. I walked down the steps and easily spotted Seth and Leah standing about fifty yards from the house. They both turned around, obviously hearing me approach, and Leah's face remained indifferent while Seth gave me his usual bright smile.

"Hey Rory," Seth said when I was three quarters of the way to them and I easily smiled back at him as I came to a stop a few feet away from him.

"Morning Seth," I said before I turned my eyes to Leah. "Good morning, Leah."

"Morning," she said back after she glanced at me and returned her eyes to the trees, her dark eyes scanning and looking for something that I knew I would never be able to see.

"Edward said that Jacob is out here somewhere," I said and Seth nodded before he raised his right hand and pointed off into the distance.

"He's just over there," Seth said as he lowered his hand back to his side. "Walk straight and you won't miss him."

"Thanks," I said with another smile at the younger boy before I turned to my left and started to walk through the thin line of trees. I walked for a few minutes when at last I spotted Jacob's large russet wolf curled up and asleep inside a small cove like structure created by the large raised roots of a towering thick trunk tree. I let out a relieved sigh at seeing that he really was okay and my tense muscles finally started to relax as I quickened my pace towards him. He didn't wake and I was thankful for that because I knew he must have been tired from being alert and awake all night. I didn't want to wake him; I just wanted to be close to him for a little while.

As stealthily as I could I sank down onto the ground beside him, putting his jacket on my lap as I leaned my side against him, draping my left arm across his back before I buried my face in his soft fur and fought against the tears that started to fill my eyes. I felt Wolf Jacob's solid muscles tense underneath me and I lifted my head slightly to look at him. His dark eyes were open and he raised his large head, turning his head so he was looking at me and I saw concern flashing in his dark eyes.

"I'm okay," I assured him as I brought my right and to rest against him and gripped onto his fur. "Go back to sleep." He made a grumbling noise and I shook my head. Even though I didn't know what he was trying to say I knew what he was thinking. He didn't believe me when I said that I was okay. "Really, Jacob, I'm fine. I just want to lay here with you while you sleep. I need to be close to you for a little while, please." His tired eyes stared at me for a few beats until he finally nodded his head. "Thanks," I whispered and he leaned forward to lick my left cheek and then my right before he gently nudged my right cheek with his nose. I swear he was making a purring noise as he did that, and I couldn't help but smile at him when he pulled back, looking at me expectantly. "I love you too, now go back to sleep," I said and he let out a huff before he laid his head back down on his front paws while I cuddled even more into his side and closed my eyes. I hadn't planned on falling asleep, but that was exactly what I did as Jacob's fast and steady heartbeat echoed in my left ear.

* * *

"Aurora," a voice said softly as I felt fingers gently run through my loosely braided hair. "Rory, baby, wake up," the same voice whispered in my right ear, lips brushing against the shell of my ear in the process. Goose bumps raced across my skin as consciousness fully took me and as I opened my eyes I realized I was tucked against Jacob's very human and very bare chest while his arms were wrapped around me. I lifted my head and looked up to see Jacob grinning at me before he raised his left hand to my face, gently running his fingers along my cheek and jaw before he cupped my cheek and kissed me chastely. "Hey," he said when he pulled his lips from mine and I smiled slightly at him.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, my voice husky from sleep, and Jacob lowered his hand from my face to rest on the outside of my right thigh.

"As long as I was, which was about five hours," he said and I sighed quietly as I rested my head on his right shoulder and raised my right hand to his chest, resting over his beating heart. "You didn't sleep last night, did you?"

"I got some sleep, but not much," I admitted as I lifted my head once more, my blue eyes meeting his brown.

"You were crying when you found me this morning. Did something happen?" he asked.

"No," I said as I shook my head. "It was just a long night."

"Aurora," he said started and I sighed quietly as I looked down at my hand that still rested on his chest.

"I had some really bad dreams," I said, "and the last one scared me so bad that I woke up screaming." Jacob's arms tightened around me, pressing me even closer to him as I continued to look at my hand on his chest. "I screamed so loud I woke Charlie up."

"What was it about?" he asked, but I shook my head.

"I don't want to talk about it, Jacob," I said as I returned my eyes to his face. "I really, _really_, don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," he said quickly his hand rising to cup my cheek yet again. "Okay, you don't have to tell me right now." I knew that meant that he would be asking me again, and hopefully I would be able to answer him since the nightmare would not be as fresh.

"Thanks," I said and he smiled at me before he kissed me once more. I kissed him back and soon the kiss went from an innocent pressing of lips to a not so innocent deep kiss that definitely was not suitable to be shared in public. I turned my body during the kiss so my chest was fully against his, and since I was sitting on the ground I put my hand on his thigh to get a bit of leverage when I unexpectedly came into contact with Jacob's warm flesh. I gasped softly and pulled my mouth from his before I pulled back a little further and looked down to see that Jacob was completely naked and he was nearly at full attention. My face flamed as I looked back up and Jacob chuckled as he looked at me. "Why are you naked?" I asked quietly.

"You know I get naked when I phase, Rory," he said with a smug grin on his lips and I rolled my eyes, but my retort was cut short as his words sunk in.

"Wait," I said. "How did you phase back with me lying against you without waking me up?"

"Very carefully," he said seriously, "and you were pretty much out of it. It took about five minutes for me to get you to open your eyes."

"Sorry about that," I said quietly before I pulled away from him and got to my feet, his jacket once again in my hands. He looked up at me with a raised eyebrow that made me laugh as I pulled on his jacket and then pulled my braid out from the collar. "I want to go check on Bella since she's probably up by now," I said and Jacob sighed before his stood from the ground completely naked in front of me. My blush returned as I forced my eyes to remain on his face and did my damnedest to keep my expression neutral, but my traitor of a heart was giving me completely away and I knew Jacob could easily hear it pounding and skipping hard in my chest.

"You sure that's what you want to do, Aurora?" he asked as he took a step closer to me and a swallowed hard while my body and heart begged me to say 'no.' However, there were far more pressing matters at hand and when all was said and done and _everyone_ came out of things unscathed, I would happily give in.

"Yes," I squeaked before I quickly turned on the balls of my feet and took off in a jog towards the Cullens' house, Jacob's laughter filling my ears as I went.

* * *

After failing to get Bella to eat anything yet again only to watch her fall asleep on me and Rosalie a few minutes later before Rosalie cleaned up the mess and took the food filled dishes back into the kitchen. I stood from my chair and made my way over to the large windows. The very windows I had been looking out the day before and watched as Edward and Jacob talked. Now, I saw nothing but trees until Wolf Seth came jogging back from was undoubtedly another perimeter run that Jacob had sent him on. Seeing Seth in his wolf form made the ending of one of the worst nightmares in my life come flooding back to me.

_It had only been going on for a few minutes, but it felt like hours since I was powerless to do anything other than watch my friends fight and literally kill each other. Jared had Alice on the ground while Embry and Quil were holding off Jasper and Paul had Edward. I didn't know where Seth, Leah, or the other Cullens were but my attention was lost to everything else around me as I saw Sam and Jacob circling each other. Both of them were growling with the teeth barred and foam practically coming out of their mouths as they snapped at each other._

"_No!" I screamed as Sam launched himself at Jacob and the two started fighting ferociously, rolling on the ground and biting at each other. "Stop!" I begged as Sam managed to get the upper hand on Jacob and flung him hard against a tree. Even over the noise of the others fighting and my heartbeat in my ears I could hear Jacob's bones break and his soft whine. However, he got back on his feet after a moment but his legs shook with the effort._

_Sam came at him again, easily overpowering a wounded and weakened Jacob before he went into for the kill. I screamed as I watch Sam's teeth tear away Jacob's throat. I screamed as I fell to my knees and saw the blood pour out of Jacob like a hose before his body shifted and there on the cold hard ground laid human Jacob covered in blood and completely still._

"_No, no, no, no," I cried as I scrambled to my feet and ran over to him, throwing myself over his body before I took his face into my hands, ignoring the fact that his throat was ripped open and his head was barely connected to his body anymore. I wretched out a sob before I screamed again and again and again as I looked into Jacob's cold dead eyes._

"Aurora?" a soft voice asked, tearing me from my thoughts as a cold hand rested on my left shoulder. I blinked and turned my head to see Edward standing there, concern etched on his handsome face before he drew closer to me and raised his right hand from my shoulder. He wiped his thumb across my cheek and it was then that I realized I had been crying. "Is that why you looked so upset this morning?" he asked. "You had nightmares like that all night?" I could only nod in response as his hand left my face because I couldn't find my voice. It was then that I felt a rush of calm and peace wash over me and I knew then that Jasper wasn't far away. "We won't let that happen," Edward said quietly as his almost black eyes held my blue. "I swear to you we won't."

"You can't promise something like that, Edward, because you know this is going to end bloody," I said quietly, "and I'm torn in two because I care about everyone involved on both sides. No matter which side wins in the end I still loose." Edward said nothing as he looked at me and I was pretty sure it was the first time I had ever seen the vampire speechless. He sighed quietly before he did something I most certainly didn't expect. He hugged me. Quickly, I wrapped my arms around him in return and clung to the back of his shirt throughout the duration of our embrace and after a few beats we pulled apart.

"I don't know what's going to happen and since Alice is blind to pretty much everything right now no one does, but I can promise you that your nightmare will not become a reality, Aurora," he said and I sniffed quietly as I nodded my head even though I was sure that the only way something like that could be avoided was if someone managed to talk some sense into Sam.

"Edward, could I borrow your car again?" I asked and he looked at me curiously, obviously wondering why I would ask to borrow his car after that rather intense moment we had just shared. "I want to run to the market to see if I can find anything that Bella will be able to stomach."

"Sure," he said before he pulled his keys from his pants pocket.

"Thanks," I said. "If Jacob comes in and wonders where I am, would you tell him for me?"

"Of course," Edward said, his eyes dancing across my face and undoubtedly trying to figure out what I was thinking. However, all I was thinking about at that moment was a random list of things to pick up from the market.

"Thanks," I said again before I grabbed Jacob's jacket from the chair and quickly left the house. I jogged over to Edward's car and climbed in before I sped down their long driveway and got on the main road. Instead of turning right from their driveway, I turned left and headed towards La Push. I was going to have a little talk with Sam and try and get him to see reason, that what he was doing was wrong. I just hoped that in the end he would listen to me.


	29. Chapter 29

I know I just posted yesterday, but like I said I'm on a roll. Also, I worked to finish this chapter today because next week is a busy one for me, so, Chapter 30 might not get posted until next Sunday or Monday. My birthday is on Thursday and I've got a bunch of stuff going on throughout the week and I wanted to give you all a heads up. Anyway, thank you all SO VERY MUCH for your reviews and adds. I'm so happy you guys aren't mad at me for keeping you waiting as long as I did before and I hope you all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

I knew exactly when I crossed the treaty line into La Push because I was met by a familiar gray wolf with black spots coming out of the forest line and walking onto the road as I drew closer. Sighing quietly I brought Edward's Volvo to a stop about twenty feet from where Wolf Embry stood just staring expectantly at me before I put the car in park and killed the engine. Roughly pulling the keys out of the ignition, I unbuckled my seat belt and clamored out of the car, slamming the door hard behind me.

"Let me through, Embry," I said, my hands going to rest on my hips.

"You can't go any farther, Aurora," came Sam's deep voice and I took a deep breath before I turned to the right to see Sam walking out of the woods dressed only in a pair of jean cut offs.

"Why?" I asked sharply as I let my hands fall to my sides as I turned fully to face Sam.

"You're not welcome in La Push anymore," Sam said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I asked. "I haven't done anything to anyone."

"Jacob broke from the pack to support the leeches, and you're tied to him," Sam said simply and I sighed quietly as I shook my head. I hadn't really thought that that would be the case, but apparently it was and while it stung a bit that I was no longer welcome in a place I had considered my second home there was nothing I could do about it at the moment.

"All right," I said quietly before I walked a little closer to Sam and looked up at him. "I don't need to go any further anyway since it's you that I want to talk to." Sam cocked an eyebrow as he looked back at me and I took a deep breath through my nose before I slowly let it out. "Why are you doing this?" I asked as I shook my head once more.

"Bella's choice affects us all, Aurora," Sam said as he shook his head.

"Bella's _my_ cousin, Sam, and right now she's very much human. Killing her would go against everything that the pack stands for."

"She's dying anyway," Sam growled out, hands going into fists at his side, and I took two steps back just to be safe.

"Maybe," I said quietly, "but there's a chance that once the baby is born she'll be turned as originally planned."

"It's not a baby, Aurora, it's an abomination," Sam said, "and if it's born, it won't be able to control its thirst. Every human, tribe or not, will be in danger. We can't let that happen."

"Are you really willing to fight Jacob, Seth, _and_ Leah because you think my cousin is carrying an abomination, Sam?" I asked and I saw his fists tighten to the point that his knuckles turned white. It was probably a low blow to bring up Leah. Despite his intense love for Emily I knew that Sam still felt guilty for what he did to Leah and while he may not love her anymore he still cared about her. "We won't know if the baby is really anything more than that until he or she is born," I said since it seemed like he wasn't going to answer my question.

"You _know _that it's not just a baby, Aurora," Sam said as he took two steps closer to me. "I saw how Bella looks in Jacob's mind before he broke from the pack. It's killing her and that's all it's going to do."

"I know you probably find this hard to believe, Sam, but I don't think that's the case at all," I said as I shook my head. "You don't know Edward and you barely know Bella. I don't believe that they could create something evil. You want to take two innocent lives because _you_ think that the baby will be just that given that Edward is a vampire, but you're wrong."

"Fine!" Sam shouted as he took several more slow steps towards me until he was barely a foot away from me. The look on his face was murderous as he glared at me and for the first time ever I was afraid of Sam. Would Sam actually go against the unspoken imprint law that Jacob told me about and hurt me? I didn't think so, but the look on his face still scared the crap out of me. "We will wait to take care of the _problem_, but we'll be watching and I promise you, Aurora, that if one of those leeches strays far from home . . . the treaty is void and we won't hold back," he hissed in the end before he turned, took five steps away from me, and exploded into his large black wolf. He looked back at me and growled with his teeth barred before he raced off into the trees.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding before I took in several shaky breaths to calm my rapidly beating heart and to get my hands to stop shaking. I heard a soft whine before I felt a gentle nudge on my left shoulder. Startled I turned around only to see Wolf Embry standing behind me and the look on his face was almost apologetic as he looked back at me. I knew that Embry did not approve of how Sam just treated me, and in a way he was apologizing for his alpha. However, before I could say anything to him he looked away and ran into the trees, following after Sam.

Frustrated that that little talk didn't go as I had hoped it would and still scared out of my mind, I pretty much ran back over to Edward's car and climbed in. I slammed the door shut and gripped the steering wheel tightly with my still trembling hands as I took another shaky breath. I closed my eyes and shook my head before I put the key in the ignition, started up the Volvo, and did a U-turn. I wasn't sure if I had made matters worse or not as I made my way back to Forks, but I did know that Sam wanted blood and now I was even more worried than I had been.

* * *

I'd been so caught up in my thoughts as I drove back to the Cullens' house that when I parked Edward's car and saw Edward _and_ Jacob standing in front of the garage together I knew that I was in trouble. I had forgotten to stop at the market to keep up on my charade on the way back, but that wouldn't have mattered. I'd been replaying my conversation with Sam the entire drive back and completely forgot about the fact that Edward would be able to hear my thoughts the closer I got to his house.

"Crap," I whispered to myself as I turned off the car and slowly climbed out of the car. Jacob was in front of me before I could blink and he pushed the car door close once I was clear of it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jacob asked me, fire in his brown eyes which looked almost black at that particular moment.

"I went to talk some sense into him, but it didn't work," I said and Jacob took deep breath through his nose and pursed his lips as he looked down at me.

"I could have told you that, Aurora," he said tightly.

"I just wanted to try and help, okay? I can't do anything else other than hold Bella's hand and I feel so _useless_," I said as I looked between Jacob and Edward, who had walked over to us.

"You're not useless, Aurora," Edward said as he shook his head. "You give comfort to Bella, and that's more than I can ask for." I sighed and shook my head as I ran my left hand since Edward's keys were in my right over the top of my head.

"That's not enough," I said. "I wanted Sam to see that he was wrong, get him see that he was rushing to judgment about the baby, but Sam wouldn't listen to me and while I probably made things worse I needed to try. Especially after . . . especially after my dreams last night were filled with Sam killing you over and over again," I said as my blue eyes found Jacob's brown, which were no longer filled with that angry fire that had been in them just a minute before. Jacob sighed quietly before he reached out and took hold of my hips, pulling my body close to his and out of habit I raised my hands to rest on his chest.

"That's not going to happen," Jacob said and I nodded weakly as my eyes continued to hold his. He sighed once more and looked at Edward over his left shoulder. "Seth and Leah are keeping watch, so, I'm going to take Aurora home." Edward nodded as he glanced at his car for a moment before he returned his eyes to Jacob.

"Your bike still needs work before it will be safe to ride again," he said. "You can use my car." Jacob nodded his head as he let me go and took the keys from my right hand before he looked back at me. I sighed heavily before I looked at Edward and he nodded his head.

"I'll tell everyone you said good bye and that you'll be back tomorrow after school," Edward said and I smiled at him.

"Thanks," I said quietly before I walked around the front of the car. I climbed into the front passenger seat while Jacob pushed the driver's seat back a bit before he climbed in behind the wheel.

It was silent in the car as he drove down the driveway and onto the main road, and it remained silent the entire way to my house. Jacob turned into the driveway, stopping behind my car, and I noticed Charlie's cruiser was gone, so, I knew he was still at the station. I unbuckled my seatbelt and looked at Jacob just as he turned his head to look at me. He raised his right hand to my face and I leaned in to his touch.

"Are you still angry with me?" I asked and Jacob shook his head negatively as he ran his thumb along my cheek.

"No, but please don't do something like that again," Jacob said. "Edward told me that he could see that Sam scared you, made you think that he wouldn't honor the law regarding imprints."

"I thought that for only a second, but he did scare me. I thought I was going to pee my pants or something," I said trying to break the tension and Jacob shook his head as he smirked at me before he ran his thumb along my cheek yet again.

"Sam may have been angry at you for saying what you did, but he wouldn't break that law, Rory," he said quietly. I knew Jacob was right, but the way Sam had looked at me would haunt me for a while and the slight friendship we had had before all this mess happened was done. I would never be able to look at Sam the same way.

"I know," I said and Jacob sighed.

"I need to get back," he said as he lowered his hand from my face. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "Charlie should be home soon and I need to get everything together for tomorrow." Jacob nodded before he leaned into me and softly pressed his warm lips to mine to say good bye. I raised both of my hands to his face and held him in place as I kissed him back. I felt Jacob's left hand on my upper waist then as our kiss deepened, but sadly it didn't last much longer. With a heavy sigh and small growl Jacob pulled his lips from mine while my hands slid to rest on either side of his neck.

"You don't play fair, Aurora," he said heavily as he pressed his forehead to mine and I laughed quietly before I pulled my head back so I could look him in the eyes.

"I have no idea what you mean," I said and he smirked before he grumbled something that I couldn't understand before he kissed me chastely.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said and I nodded as I pulled my hands away.

"Text me or something and let me know how Bella's doing in the morning," I said and he nodded.

"I will," he said and I smiled softly at him before I kissed him once more and finally climbed out of the car. I looked back once I reached the porch steps and I waved my hand at Jacob. He smiled at me and waved back before I went up the few steps and pulled out my house keys. It wasn't until I closed and locked the front door that I heard Jacob pull away in Edward's car and I let out a heavy sigh as I pulled off Jacob's jacket, which I was still wearing, and stepped out of my shoes.

A glance at the clock informed me that it was half past five and since I knew Charlie would be home soon I figured that I might as well keep myself busy and fix dinner for Charlie and me. So, after taking a deep breath, I pushed up the sleeves of my sweater and made my way into the kitchen to get cooking.

* * *

"Aurora, right?" a cheery voice asked after I had settled myself into a seat at a table in the physics classroom with a soft sigh. I was not looking forward to having two periods of physics followed by two periods of calculus first thing in the morning for the next four and a half months, but there was nothing I could do about it. I turned my head to the right to see a rather thin girl who could rival Alice in her tiny stature standing beside my table looking at me expectantly. I didn't recognize the black haired girl but that wasn't saying much since I hadn't exactly made friends outside of the Cullens and pack when I moved to Forks.

"Yes," I said as I looked at her, noticing that her left eyebrow was pierced along with the left side of her nose.

"I'm Cora," she said. "We had English together last year." It was then that I remembered her. She had sat on the other side of the room from me, and we'd never really spoke because of that. She was pretty with very light olive skin and slight Asian features. I didn't think she was completely Asian, but I wasn't about to come out and ask if she was or not.

"Yeah, I remember," I said with a small smile and her face brightened as her smile widened.

"Great," she said. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"No, feel free," I said and if possible her smile widened as she sat her bag down on the floor and sank into the chair beside me.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," I said back. Cora was far too cheery for eight o'clock in the morning. I was usually a morning person, but after another restless night I wasn't my usual self and the three cups of coffee I had downed that morning hadn't done much to lighten my mood or wake me up.

"So, are you excited for the start of senior year?" she asked.

"Yes and no," I said and she raised her pierced eyebrow, the look on her face making me laugh and urged to me to elaborate. "Yes because it means it's my last year of high school and no because I have no idea what I want to do once it's over."

"I totally understand," she said. "My dad wants me to go to some Ivy League school and be either pre-med or major in political science and head off to law school. He's of the opinion that if I'm not a lawyer or a doctor I'm a complete failure, but that is _so_ not my thing."

"What's your thing?" I asked with a smile and Cora beamed once again before she turned away from me and grabbed something out of her bag.

"This," she said as she turned back and handed me what I quickly saw was a sketch pad. "Go ahead," she said and I smiled at her yet again before I took it from her and opened it.

"Wow," I said as I looked at the sketch of what was obviously some spot in the woods. It was done in what I assumed was color pencil and it was amazing. It looked almost like a black and white photograph and I returned my eyes to Cora who was still smiling. "This is amazing."

"Thanks," she said as I looked back to the sketch pad and turned the page. Staring back at me were two smiling faces also done in color pencils. On the left was a Caucasian woman with dark red, almost auburn color, hair that was laced with tiny white flowers and shining green eyes. On the right was an Asian man, his black hair slicked back and a bright smile on his face that reminded me greatly of Cora's smile.

"Your parents?" I hazard a guess as I looked at her and she nodded.

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p' and making me smile yet again. "I drew that from one of their wedding pictures."

"Jeez, it _looks_ like a photograph," I said as the warning bell sounded and I closed her sketch book before I handed it back to her. "You've got talent."

"Thanks," she said. "I want to go to art school and hone my skills, maybe learn a few new mediums. I know that being a successful artist probably isn't in the cards, but I could be an art teacher or something. I want to do something I love, you know, and being a lawyer or a doctor is definitely not something I will love."

"At least you can say you know what you want to do," I said. "I have no clue what I'm going to do after graduation."

"You'll figure it out soon enough," Cora said with a solid nod of her head and I couldn't help but smile at her. "So, are you still dating that giant guy from La Push?" she asked and I laughed quietly.

"Yeah, I'm still dating that giant guy from La Push," I said, "and his name is Jacob."

"Cool," she said. "Too bad his name isn't Phillip," she added as the final bell rang and I raise an eyebrow at her. The teacher hadn't appeared yet and the full classroom was full of chatter from the other students around us, so, I figured I could continue on talking to Cora.

"Why's that?" I asked and she gasped in mock horror.

"Have you ever watched Disney's Sleeping Beauty?" she asked and I blinked at her.

"Yeah, but I haven't watched it since I was like nine," I said and she laughed lightly.

"Aurora and Prince Phillip?" she asked. "If your boyfriend's name was Phillip, that would have just been too perfect." She laughed again and I couldn't help but laugh with her.

"I completely forgot about that," I said and she smiled at me as she patted my shoulder.

"It's okay," she said. "I won't hold it against you." I laughed again and shook my head while she continued to smile at me. "We should totally hang out." In an odd way Cora reminded me of Gina, just not overtly sexual. She reminded me of Gina because of her playful and energetic personality and I nodded my head as I smiled at her.

"Totally," I said earning another beaming smile from Cora.

"Cool," she said again as the teacher, Mrs. Winslow, swept into the classroom. "Let's have lunch together and I can introduce you to my other friends," Cora whispered as Mrs. Winslow called for the class to quiet down so she could start the first lesson of the year.

"Sure. That'd be great," I said and she nodded her head before she turned her attention to Mrs. Winslow and I did the same. I had no idea how it exactly happened, but I was pretty sure I had just gained a potential new friend. A potential friend that had absolutely no connection to the supernatural whatsoever, and I had no idea how to handle that.

* * *

The rest of the school day went by in a blur, but Cora and her friends were a breath of fresh air. They'd managed to keep me distracted from my not so pleasant thoughts of my life outside of the walls of the school, and I really was disappointed to turn down their offer to hang out at Cora's after school that day. However, I wanted to get to check on Bella and see how the Cullens were doing as a whole since it had been a while before any of them had hunted.

I got to the Cullens' place in seemingly record time and to my surprise Jacob's bike was parked in front of the garage looking as good as new. In fact, I was pretty sure that most of the parts on the bike, some that hadn't even been damaged when he kicked it, _were_ brand spanking new and nothing like parts that Jacob could afford let alone get given the current predicament we all found ourselves in. I looked at it curiously as I climbed out of my car and a tinkling laugh drew my eyes towards the house. I saw Rosalie standing on the stairs that led up to the large glass door and I smiled at her as I walked around the front of my car and up the stairs.

Ever since the whole defending Bella and her decision to keep the baby thing, Rosalie and I had actually become good friends, better than we had been before. She may not have hated me before, but she had simply tolerated me because Emmett liked me and I was related to Bella, but we'd come to an understanding and oddly bonded over the last couple of days. It was weird to call Rosalie my friend, but she was and I actually liked being able to say that now.

"Do you know where Jacob got the parts to fix his bike?" I asked as I gestured over my left shoulder with my thumb and Rosalie smiled at me.

"He didn't get them," she said. "I had a few things lying around and ordered the rest before I fixed his bike for him." I knew Rosalie had a thing for cars and that she liked tinkering under the hoods of the various cars the Cullens owed, but I seriously did not expect her to say that.

"You what?" I asked as my hand fell limply against my side while I looked at the stunning blonde in shock.

"Don't look so surprised," she said with a small smile before her smile slipped away slightly. "He's doing a great thing for my family, and while I may not _like_ him, that means something to me. It's my way of saying thank you, I guess."

"Wow, Rose, you do have a heart," I said jokingly and she laughed lightly before she smiled at me once more.

"Of course I do," she said simply. "It's just cold."

"No, Rose, it's not," I said seriously as I shook my head. "It's warm and it's good, you just don't always show it and there's a very small number of people that get to see it. I'm just surprised you showed it to Jacob."

"Well," she said softly as she looked down at her hands before her dark eyes returned to my face, "if Jacob is your soul mate, he can't be all bad." I smiled at her round about compliment, and realized that my cheeks actually hurt from all the smiling I'd been doing today. It was hard to believe that I'd been able to after the night I had, but then again I'd been around people all day that kept my mind off of things.

"So, how's Bella?" I asked.

"Same," Rosalie said with a quiet sigh. "She's with Carlisle and Edward in his office."

"Is something wrong?" I asked and Rosalie shook her head.

"I don't believe so, but Carlisle is checking her over," Rosalie said and I nodded.

"Is it okay if I head in?" I asked and she nodded.

"Of course," she said before the two of us went inside. We parted ways, Rosalie going to find Emmett and me heading towards Carlisle's office. I reached the door just as Carlisle was walking out and to say the look on his face was grave would be an understatement. I watched as the vampire doctor sighed heavily and ran his hand down his mouth before he turned, spotting me as I came to a stop in the process.

"Hello Aurora," he said with a forced smile. "How was your first day back at school?"

"It was school, but I might have made a few new friends," I said as I shook my head and shrugged nonchalantly signally that I didn't want to participate in idle chitchat. "Is something wrong with Bella?"

"Come with me," he said gently as he raised his hand before he put it on my right shoulder blade and turned me around. He kept his hand on my back as we walked to the stairs and went up the first flight before heading into the kitchen. I wasn't surprised to find Esme already in there, but I was surprised that after Carlisle had seated me at the island that Esme put a mug of hot chocolate in front of me.

"Oh God," I whispered as I looked at the steaming mug before I turned my eyes to the pair of vampires that stood across the island counter. "It's bad isn't it?" I asked and Carlisle shared a look with Esme before he put a gentle arm around her waist and looked at me.

"The fetus broke one of Bella's ribs," Carlisle said. "Thankfully it didn't splinter or puncture anything, but that is not what worries me the most."

"Okay, what worries you the most?" I asked when he paused.

"The fetus isn't compatible with Bella's body," Carlisle said. "It's far too strong and it's not allowing Bella to get the nutrition that she needs to survive. It's starving her and there's nothing I can do. Her heart will give out before she's able to give birth."

"How long do you think she has?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know for certain, but I know that it isn't much longer," Carlisle said heavily and I sighed heavily before I sat back and shook my head.

"There has to be a way," I said quietly as I started at the mug on the counter. "There has to be _something_ you can do," I said a little louder as I looked up at Carlisle with pleading eyes.

"If I knew of anything that could possibly work, I would do it," he said.

"So, that's it? We're just going to go through the motions and wait for her to slowly die?" I asked with a frown as tears prickled the corners of my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Aurora," Carlisle said. I as the first tear rolled down my cheek hot hands hoisted me from the stool I was sitting on before I was engulfed in Jacob's familiar warm embrace, my face buried in his neck as my toes dangled above the floor and my arms wrapped around his solid shoulders.

"Did you . . .?" I asked against his skin and I felt him nod.

"Yeah, I heard," he said softly and I heard Esme and Carlisle sigh. "Is there really nothing you can do?" Carlisle didn't verbally answer him, so, I assumed he shook his head before Jacob started whispering comforting words into my hair after he kissed my temple.

Three months ago, if you would have told me that I would have been as heartbroken as I presently was at the thought of Bella dying I wouldn't have believed you because back then Bella had been about as far from my favorite person as someone could be. However, I was truly heartbroken and with the one year anniversary of my mother's death quickly approaching I didn't know what to think. In spite of this, I knew that there had to be something, something that we were all overlooking that would end up helping Bella and keep her strong until she was able to deliver the baby and Carlisle could change her; and as I pulled back from Jacob and was back on my own two feet, I was determined to figure out what it was.


	30. Chapter 30

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a good day/relaxing weekend. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well. I had most of written earlier last week and I finished it off this morning so I could get it up today. Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds, and for taking the time to read my stuff. Again, I hope you guys like this chapter and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty**

Two days had passed I had made no headway in trying to figure out a way to help Bella. Jacob had asked me, well, told me really that he thought it was best that I limit my time at the Cullens' place. He was uneasy with me being around for long periods of time because it had been a very long time since any of the Cullens had hunted and while they all had good control of themselves, Jacob didn't want to risk me getting a paper cut or something and sending one of them in a fit. Rosalie had tried to tell him that his 'stench,' which lingered on my skin, made me almost as repulsive to them as he was, but Jacob wasn't really having any of it. I may not have liked being told what to do, but I did as he instructed since I wanted to keep the peace. So, I'd spent an hour (at best) visiting Bella, Jacob, Seth, and the others each day over the last two days and as Friday morning dawned I went about my usual routine like I always did. Up at five, did a quick workout video since I wasn't up for my usual run, and climbed into the shower.

As I got out of the shower that morning I sighed heavily as I wiped away the steam from the mirror before I looked at my reflection. I looked tired, almost haggard really, and I knew it was the stress of everything that was going on in my head. I didn't really have anyone to talk to since when I was at the Cullens' place I tried to keep a positive vibe going to try and keep everyone's spirits up, and provide a little lame comic relief since it was always so tense there. I couldn't talk about it with Cora or my new friends either, and then there was trying to give Charlie a little bit of comfort and reassure him that Bella was going to pull through and be home before too long even though part of me knew that it was likely that Charlie would never see Bella again.

The grief that was already on Charlie's face thanks to his worry about his daughter was physically painful for me to see, and I wished that I could tell him what was really going on but that was not and would never be a possibility. Apparently, I already was in danger because I knew about the Cullens and I didn't want to put Charlie into that bracket as well.

I took a deep breath as I looked at my reflection and the dark circles I had under my eyes. If I was just a little paler and much more skeletal I would have looked similar to how Bella looked last night, and I was going to have to apply some serious makeup that morning to avoid any heavy questions. I felt like I was starting to crack from the stress and pressure, but I needed to keep the mask in place. If I didn't, I would only be adding to Charlie's worry; and he was worrying enough about Bella as it was. I didn't need to have him worrying about me as well, especially since Sue was worrying about me enough for the both of them.

She'd been over for dinner the night before and her concerned looks thankfully went unnoticed by Charlie. I knew it just wasn't me she was worried about. She was scared to death that something was going to happen to Seth and Leah when Sam decided to make a move, but I had to give it to her. If I didn't know that something was going on, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell that Sue was worried about something. Hence why Charlie was completely oblivious to his girlfriend's present concerns, plus he was worried about Bella so he had some blinders on to a lot of little things.

I sighed once more as I ran my hand over the top of my wet head before I took another deep breath through my nose and slowly let it out of my mouth. I needed to get a move on so that I wouldn't be hogging the bathroom when Charlie woke up, and I quickly got to work.

* * *

"_Bella's a little weaker this morning, but she's doing about the same. No new developments on the Sam front."_ I read the text message that Jacob had sent me that morning a couple of times as I sat in my car in the school parking lot. I had felt my phone vibrate as I drove to school, but hadn't checked it until I had pulled into the parking lot and parked my car.

I started to text him back when there was an unexpected loud bang on my driver's side window. I had already taken off my seatbelt and I had literally jumped so high in my seat that my head hit the roof of my car while my cell phone fell into my lap before it slid down onto the floor at my feet. A sparkling and loud muffled laugh met my ears as I winced and rubbed the top of my head before I turned my eyes to the window to see Cora and her/my friend, Derek. Cora was laughing her ass off and Derek gave me a 'sorry' look as he shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Cora, telling me that it was all her. Despite the pain in my head, I laughed under my breath as I lowered my hand and grabbed my backpack from the passenger seat before I climbed out of my car.

"Your face!" Cora cried through her still roaring laughter and I rolled my eyes as I fought back a full on smile while I turned around and grabbed my phone from the floor of my car. I closed the text message window, locked my phone, and tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans. "That was seriously one of the funniest things I have ever seen."

"I'm glad you find my pain so amusing, Cora," I said lightly. I tried to look like I was upset, but she was laughing so hard that I couldn't help but smile slightly at my shorter friend. Cora was petite. Not quite as short as Alice but not taller than Bella. She fell somewhere in the middle while Derek's eyes were even with mine. Cora's laughter quieted to a chuckle before she not so gently smacked Derek on the chest with the back of her right hand. The boy actually winced and subtly rubbed his chest as he looked down at Cora.

"What was that for?" he asked her as his hand went back to his side. Derek's voice was a low tenor tone and while Jacob was the most beautiful guy in the universe to me, I had to admit that Derek was good looking. He had blonde hair, but it wasn't like Rosalie or Jasper's golden locks, it was pale blonde and short about his head. He had warm brown eyes that were almost the color of dark chocolate and he was well built; not like Jacob or the other guys, but he was put together. He certainly wasn't my type or anything since Jacob was pretty much pure perfection personified in my eyes, but he was easy to look at; and in the few days I'd known him I'd figured out that he was crushing hard on Cora who was completely oblivious to it.

"You should have recorded it with your phone! We could have watched it over and over again and laughed at it all day!" Cora said and Derek rolled his eyes while I laughed, drawing Cora's eyes to me.

"I guess you'll just have to relive the moment through your memory, Cora," I said and she sighed dramatically before she ran her hand through her hair and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"I guess that will have to do," she said heavily and Derek and I shared a smile before the three of us started towards the school. "So, since it's Friday, we're going to go to Port Angeles after school to have dinner and catch a movie," Cora said as we walked into the main building. Cora and I had our first class together and Derek's class was in the same building just on the other side from where Cora and I had to go.

"Who's we?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"Derek, Owen, Lynn, and me," she said. "Do you want to actually join us this time?" I would have loved to get away from Forks for a while, if only to escape reality and hang out with my new friends; but I was worried about Charlie, Jacob, and everyone else. If I escaped for even a few hours, I would feel guilty.

"I would, but Charlie's still having a rough time. I don't think I should leave him alone," I said as all three of us came to a stop outside Cora and my classroom, both of them looking at me with concerned expressions on their faces.

"Still no good news as far as Bella goes?" Derek asked. I'd told them about what was going on, well, the version of facts that Charlie was privy to anyway. It was mostly because of the excuses I gave them for not hanging out after school, and that morning was no different than the others.

"Not really," I said, easily making my tone concerned and worried since I _was_ concerned and worried about a million different things at that moment.

"I'm sorry, Aurora," Cora said gently and I forced a small smile as I looked at her.

"It's all right," I said and she continued to look at me with tender dark eyes. "I'm sure Bella will pull through whatever it is that she's going through right now, and Charlie will have stressed out over nothing."

"Sure she will," Derek said with an encouraging smile that I easily returned before the warning bell sounded. "That's my cue to get to class. See you girls later."

"Bye Derek," Cora said and he smiled at her before he looked at me.

"See ya," I said and with that Derek made his way down the hall while Cora and I went into our physics class. Just as I sat down at the table with Cora I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I shifted in my seat and pulled out my phone. I had another text message from Jacob and I quickly opened it, worried that something had happened in the ten minutes since he had sent me the first one.

"_I forgot to tell you something,"_ he wrote and as the bell sounded I quickly replied.

"_What? Is something wrong?"_ I wrote back and not so patiently waited as Mrs. Winslow started class. Thankfully, I really didn't have all that long to wait. I quickly opened the message only to roll my eyes at the words on the screen before I smiled.

"_Stop worrying. I just forgot to tell you that I love you and I'll see you later."_

"_I love you too and I can't wait to see you,"_ I wrote back before I quickly put my phone back in my pocket and pulled out my textbook and notebook. I glanced at Cora who was looking at me.

"Everything okay?" she asked in a hushed whisper and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, it's all good. Jacob just wanted to let me know he'd be by later tonight to see how Charlie's doing," I said back in a whisper, twisting things around a little bit, and Cora nodded before she gave me a small smile and turned to look at Mrs. Winslow. I followed her gaze and picked up my pen before I started taking notes.

* * *

After school, I headed over to the Cullens' place and after parking my car and climbing out I headed up the stairs and to the front door. Jacob met me at the door and I smiled at him before I rushed forward and threw my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. He chuckled as he let the door close behind me before he settled his right hand on my left him and his left hand on the middle of my back.

"Hey," he said softly before he kissed my head.

"Hey," I said back, earning another chuckle from him before he wrapped his arms around me completely and hugged me tight to his chest. After a minute we pulled apart and I sighed quietly as I looked up at him. "How's Bella doing?"

"Not good," he said and I sighed once more before I took his left hand into my right and headed towards the stairs. Jacob took the lead once we were upstairs and led me to the room where everyone was gathered. The grim looks on everyone's faces wasn't all that comforting, but I forced a smile as I walked over to Bella who was lying on the sofa with an IV in her hand. Well, she didn't have that yesterday.

"Hi guys," I said as I looked around at everyone before I sat down on the ottoman across from Bella who gave me a weak smile.

"How was school?" she asked tiredly and I laughed quietly as I shook my head. Of all the things she could ask me, she asks me that.

"Boring as hell and it's been a long time since I've been so happy that it's Friday," I said, making her chuckle lightly. "How are you doing?" I asked as I reached out for her hand and she sighed softly as she weakly wrapped her cool fingers around my hand.

"I'm fine," she assured me. Jacob sat down on the other end of the sofa near her feet and I looked at him briefly before I returned my eyes to Bella.

"I hate to say this, Bella, but I really don't believe you when you say that this time around," I said and I was careful to mind the IV in her hand as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze before I let it go. She gave me another weak smile before she shivered slightly and pulled the sleeves of the thick sweater she was wearing a little further down her arms and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Are you cold?" Edward asked and Bella hummed a little as she nodded her head. I looked at Jacob once again, and I didn't have to say anything for him to know what I was asking.

"Here," Jacob said before he moved closer to her, sitting behind her bent legs and resting his arm along the top of her right leg. He looked at me and I smiled at him before I looked at Bella.

"Thanks," she said quietly, but after a beat she gasped and put her hand on her stomach. I moved back a little as she sat up and Edward was quick to grab a small bucket that was sitting by the sofa. However, Bella didn't throw up as expected and that was because I knew she likely hadn't eaten anything at all that day. She whimpered in pain and Jacob rested a hand on her back as he looked at me with concerned brown eyes while I sighed softly and ran my hand over the top of my head. For the first time since I'd found out about the baby, I really was beginning to doubt that Bella would actually pull through in the end.

"We need to find a way to get some food into her system," Esme said, which only confirmed my suspicion that she had indeed not eaten yet again.

"If I could only see the fetus," Alice started, but Rosalie interrupted her.

"The baby," Rosalie corrected.

"Maybe I could figure out what it wants," Alice finished as though Rosalie hadn't spoken. Suddenly, I had a thought and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I had no idea why no one else had thought of it, maybe because it was rather morbid, but the baby was half-vampire after all.

"I think I know what might work," I said quickly as I looked up at Carlisle who seemed surprised by my sudden and rushed out words. I seemed to startle everyone because everyone looked at me, Jacob with a raised eyebrow.

"You could be right," Edward said softly and I looked at him before I returned my eyes to Carlisle.

"What do you think might work, Aurora?" Carlisle asked me smoothly as he uncrossed his arms from his chest and I took a deep breath as my eyes met his.

"The baby is half-vampire," I said, "and what is it that vampires need to survive?"

"Blood," Carlisle said on behalf of everyone who I knew was probably thinking the same exact thing.

"He's thirsty," Bella said as it all sunk in.

"I know the feeling," Emmett said and I winced knowing that my presence in the house probably wasn't helping him at all. I looked over my shoulder at him and Jasper who was sitting close by. Me being there was probably torture for them, all of them really, and despite that they'd never said I couldn't visit. My time there was just limited and I was grateful for that because I really didn't like going without seeing Jacob in the flesh for long, and I wanted to keep close tabs on Bella.

"I'm sorry," I mouthed as I looked at Emmett and then at Jasper since they both looked at me when I turned to look at them. The vampires gave me tight smiles as they shook their heads to waive off my apology.

"You are bearable, Aurora, because Jacob's . . . scent covers yours very well," Jasper said evenly and quietly as he looked at me and I nodded even though I wasn't sure how truthful that statement was for him.

"If it's craving, it's not going to want animal blood," Edward said, drawing my attention back to him.

"I have some O negative laid aside for Bella," Carlisle said before he left the room and I swallowed hard as a small wave of nausea washed over me.

"Walk with me," Alice said before she stood and took Jasper's hand, leading him out of the room. Emmett quickly followed after Rosalie looked at him and nodded. I took a deep breath when I spotted Carlisle in the kitchen putting blood from a blood bag into a glass.

"Wait, hold up, you're going to make her drink that?" Jacob asked suddenly and I looked at him.

"It's the fastest way to test Aurora's theory," Carlisle said and I once again swallowed hard as I looked at the good doctor.

"Only if you're comfortable with it," Edward said as he looked at Bella.

"I'll try anything," Bella said weakly from where she laid before she slowly started to sit up.

"Hold on," Edward said as he stood and joined Carlisle in the kitchen.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Jacob said quietly as he moved a little further down the long sectional sofa and looked at me, which made me nod in agreement as I stood from the ottoman in front of Bella and made to sit down beside Jacob on his right side. However, he had other ideas because he grabbed my hand just as I started to pass him and pulled me down onto his lap. Just as I got settled in and comfortable on Jacob's lap, Edward squatted in front of Bella with a white cup that had a lid and a straw in hand.

"This might make it a little easier for you to drink it," he said gently as he handed her the cup and Jacob's hand on my right hip tightened as we watched as Bella nodded, took the cup from Edward's hands, and brought the straw to her lips before she sipped from the cup. I held my breath as I watched her swallow before she looked up at Edward who had returned to his chair beside the sofa. I was ready for her to throw up, say it was disgusting, or do something other than what she actually ended up doing and saying.

"It tastes . . . good," she said before she took another, longer, draw from the straw and let out a hum of contentment. Jacob and I shared slightly disgusted looks as I let out the breath I'd been holding, but I tried to remain positive. If Bella thought that the blood tasted good, that could have only been a positive sign because in any other state I was pretty sure that Bella would not have willing drank blood. Carlisle sat down beside her on the sofa and took her left wrist into his hand to check her pulse while Bella took yet another drink from the cup.

"Your pulse is already getting stronger," Carlisle said with a smile before he turned his darkened eyes to me, and I was surprised to see gratitude in his eyes. "It looks like you were right, Aurora."

"It's working," Esme said and Rosalie, who was standing behind her adoptive mother, looked beyond relieved that it was.

"Genius, Aurora, really," Rosalie said warmly as she looked at me and I shook my head while Jacob's hand left my waist and he wrapped his arm around my waist to his warm hand was resting on my lower abdomen.

"Actually, I'm surprised no one thought of it sooner," I said and Rosalie smiled at me.

"Leave it to the human to think of it," she said and I laughed lightly as I shrugged my right shoulder before I returned my eyes to my cousin. Bella gave me a closed mouth smile before she turned her head back and took another drink from the cup. She already had more color to her face and surprisingly she was looking a little better. I was just as relieved as the Cullens at that aspect, but it was rather disgusting to my human brain that Bella was drinking blood like it was a chocolate milk shake or something.

Jacob's warm lips pressed softly to my left temple and I smiled slightly as I turned my head to look at him. He smiled back at me and for a brief moment all felt right again in the world, but sadly I knew that that feeling wouldn't last long. Not long at all.

* * *

"It's been a while since you called Charlie," I told Bella as I sat on the sofa with her at the Cullens' place after school the following Monday. We were alone, which was unusual but not unwelcome because it gave us a chance to talk even though I was pretty sure that wherever all of the Cullens were they could hear us as clear as day. Jacob was outside with Seth and Leah for a bit and I'd be joining him in a little while.

The weekend had went by relatively smoothly and over the course of those two days Bella had improved leaps and bounds thanks to her steady diet of blood, which still seriously grossed me out. However, I had kept my disgust internal. I knew Edward was privy to it, but I was just thankful he never said anything about it.

"I haven't been sure what to say," she said and I sighed quietly as I nodded my head, my ponytail falling over my shoulder at the movement.

"I understand, but you need to think of something and soon. Once you have the baby and are changed . . .," I trailed off and Bella nodded her head.

"I know," she said quietly before she looked at the phone that rested on the coffee table in front of us. "Hand me the phone?" she asked and I nodded before I reached out and grabbed the phone from the table before I passed it on to her.

"Do you want me to give you some privacy so you can talk to him alone?" I asked as she dialed the house number and Bella shook her head.

"I'd like you to stay," she said and I gave her an encouraging smile before I nodded my head. She took a deep breath before she brought the phone to her ear. "Hey Dad," Bella said after a beat and she smiled sadly as she ran her hand over her stomach. "I am," she said before she looked at me once more. "I feel much better." She paused for a beat before she looked away from me shrugged her left shoulder slightly. "You can say that," she said and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw Edward pause near the stairs and he glanced at me briefly and shook his head, pretty much asking me to be quiet, before he returned his eyes to his wife and I did the same. "Yeah, well, it is different now, but good," she said and after a beat she closed her eyes. I put my hand on her knee, which caused her to open her eyes as she looked at me. I didn't know what she saw when she looked at me but she took a deep breath and started speaking.

"Okay, Dad, I don't want you to freak out, but I'm going to a medical center in Switzerland," she said as tears lined her eyes and slowly started to fall before she placed her left hand over mine that rested on her knee. I turned my hand and gave it a squeeze knowing that what she was doing was just as hard for her say as it was for Charlie to hear. "I am," she said and I could only imagine how Charlie had taken what she'd just said, but I knew when a few more tears fell from her eyes that he hadn't taken it well. "No," she said weakly as she closed her eyes and squeezed my hand. "It's really more of a spa, and I'm sure that I'd be better by the time you got there anyway." She paused and opened her eyes as she looked down at our joined hands. "Dad, don't come. Picture me healthy; like I'm sitting on the couch with you and Aurora eating pizza or something." She paused again and took a deep breath as she nodded her head. "Just picture me like that, Dad. It'll make me feel better. Dad, I've got to go, okay? Tell Aurora I said hi and that I'm doing okay. I love you," she said before she hung up the phone and tossed it on the sofa between us before she put her hand on her forehead.

"Sue's with him right now," I said softly as I fought against my own tears and she looked at me. "I wouldn't have encouraged you to call him if he was alone."

"Thanks," she said quietly, "and thanks for not leaving. I don't think I could have done that on my own."

"Yeah you could have," I said with a watery eyed smile. "It just might have taken you a little longer," I said as I squeezed her hand and she sniffed as she nodded her head and wiped at her eyes. I noticed Edward slowly make his way into the room and I let go of Bella's hand as I looked at him and sat back a bit, picking the phone up off the sofa and putting it on the coffee table once again. Edward sat Bella's white cup down beside the phone before he squatted down in front of Bella who looked at him with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry I've been so angry," Edward said as he looked at her and shook his head, but Bella simply reached out and took his right hand into her left. "I've left you alone in this."

"Hey, she's not alone," I said, doing my best to make it sound like I was insulted, which earned a small smile from Bella and a subtle eye roll from Edward.

"You don't count, Aurora," he said as he looked at me and I raised an eyebrow. "I've pretty much failed in my duties as a husband," he said as he slowly returned his eyes to Bella.

"It's just marriage," Bella said dryly earning a pinched smile from Edward.

"Well, they do say that the first year is the hardest," he said.

"It hasn't even been a month yet for you two," I said and they both looked at me once again. "Hopefully, the next eleven are a little less eventful. I would be most appreciative if you two could manage that." Bella smiled once more and Edward simply smirked at me before he shook his head and looked down at Bella's hand that was now in both of his before he frowned.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"What?" Bella asked.

"I thought I heard . . .," Edward trailed off before his frown deepened and he brought his right hand to rest on Bella's stomach. "Say something else, Bella," he said quietly and I looked at his hand and then his face.

"_Oh my God you can hear the baby!"_ I thought as I looked at Edward and he did one of those nod/shake things with his head in response.

"Like what?" Bella asked and Edward scoffed a quiet laugh. "Edward, what is it?" He laughed again and I swear my heart practically jumped out of my chest.

"He likes the sound of your voice," Edward said.

"You can hear him?" Bella asked excitedly before she looked at me and then quickly back at Edward.

"In my mind," he said as he shook his head an Bella put her right hand over Edward's on her stomach.

"What's the baby saying, Edward?" I asked, my voice nothing more than a whisper and Edward smile.

"He likes my voice as well," Edward said with one of those rare smiles of his before he let out another breathy laugh. "He's grateful that you, Aurora, figured out how to help Bella because he doesn't want to hurt her." I blinked in complete surprise and had no idea what to say to that. "It's so strange. I thought he was like me, but he's not. He's like you, Bella," he said as he looked at her. "He's good and pure. He's happy."

"Of course you are," Bella said, her eyes on her stomach. "How could you not be? I love you so much." She looked up from her stomach and at Edward. "What do you hear now?" she asked.

"He loves you, Bella," Edward said simply and I smiled as I watched him kiss her stomach before I decided it was best that I excuse myself so they could have a moment together. When I got up from the sofa, Edward smiled at me before he took my place and as I started walking towards the stairs I heard the couple laugh and I couldn't help but smile. I spotted Jacob coming up the stairs then and my smile grew when his eyes met mine. He smiled back at me as he stopped at the top step before he glanced at Edward and Bella. His eyes returned to me and he raised a curious eyebrow as I came to a stop in front of him.

"Edward can hear the baby's thoughts," I whispered and both of his eyebrows rose when I said that. "He's not like everyone thought. He isn't evil. He's good, just like I told you and everyone else he would be."

"Are you really playing the 'I told you so' car right now, Rory?" he asked me just as quietly with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Oh yeah," I said smugly and he shook his head, a small smile finally making its way across his lips.

"Jacob, Aurora," Carlisle said from down at the foot of the stairs and both of us looked at him. He gestured with his head for us to join him before he disappeared and Jacob and I looked at each other. He held out his left hand to me and I laced my fingers with his before the two of us made our way downstairs. I didn't know what Carlisle would want to talk about, but I had a feeling that our relatively peaceful days had come to an end.


	31. Chapter 31

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I'm sorry I didn't respond to everyone's reviews. My e-mail is being stupid again and erased most of my messages that I had in my inbox on its own. I have NO idea where they went becuase they're not even in the trash. Gotta love technology! Anyway, I promise to respond to everyone that leaves a signed review to this chapter to thank you personally because you guys are seriously awesome. :) Anyway, I have a feeling all of you will hate me at the end of this chapter, but I hope you like it anyway. Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Carlisle had brought Jacob and I into his office where to my surprise Esme was waiting. Carlisle held up a blood bag to Jacob, who let go of my hand and took it with a small frown. "This is all that we have left," Carlisle said heavily and Jacob looked at the bag in his hand before he looked at me briefly and with both looked at Carlisle.

"So, this is the last of it," Jacob said, more for confirmation than anything else, as he sat the bag down on the table in front of us and Carlisle nodded.

"Won't Bella need blood when she delivers the baby?" I asked and Carlisle sighed as he looked at me.

"Yes, and she could deliver as early as tomorrow," Carlisle said as his attention moved to Jacob. "If she's going to have any chance at all, she'll need more blood."

"Well, you can't exactly go and get anymore," I said and Carlisle looked at me once more. "I don't know my blood type, but is there a way for you to tell if I'm compatible with Bella? Maybe you can take some blood from me to have when she delivers the baby."

"Your blood type is surprisingly rare, Aurora, and unfortunately you're not compatible with her," Carlisle said and I sighed quietly and nodded before I frowned and looked at Carlisle curiously.

"Wait, can you tell that by smelling me or something?" I asked and was rewarded with a light chuckle from both Carlisle and Esme while Jacob stiffened beside me and took hold of my hand once more before he tried to subtly pull me behind him. However, I managed to hold my ground as I continued to look at the two vampires genuinely curious since I had no idea how Carlisle would know that. I hadn't gone to the hospital, and other than a rather awkward doctor's appointment at the clinic at the end of June to have a check up and ask for a prescription for birth control, I hadn't seen a doctor (for medical reasons anyway) since my arrival in Forks.

"No," Carlisle said. "I reviewed your medical file just in case an instance like this would arise. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," I said as I shook my head. "I only wish I was compatible so I could be of some actual help rather than the bearer of moral support."

"It's something you can't help, so, don't worry," Carlisle told me gently and I forced a smile as I nodded my head.

"Carlisle," Esme said softly, "you need to feed. You need to be at your strongest for Bella when the time comes. We need to go tonight," she finished as she looked at Jacob who shook his head.

"You're the enemy now," Jacob said firmly before he turned around and walked towards the closed balcony doors, taking me with him since his grip was still firm around my hand. "Sam won't hesitate," he said as he looked outside briefly and then turned back to look at Carlisle and Esme, me standing just behind him with my left hand resting on the bicep of his left arm while he held tight to my right hand. "You will be slaughtered."

"Emmett will come with us," Esme said as she shook her head slightly.

"That won't be enough," Jacob said.

"He's right," I said. "All three of you are weak since it's been so long since you've fed, and there are seven of them. You won't get very far before they close in. You won't survive."

"We have no choice," Carlisle said evenly and even though I didn't agree with them going out tonight I knew they were right. "If there's anything we can do to save her, we have to try."

"You'd risk your lives for her?" Jacob asked, actually sounding surprised, which I didn't understand. Surely, he knew that the Cullens loved Bella as much as they loved each other.

"Of course we would," Esme said without any sort of hesitation, "and if need be, we'd do the same for Aurora, Jacob." I shouldn't have been surprised by that statement, but I was and I knew that that would _definitely _get Jacob's full attention. I was too busy looking at Esme with shock written all over my face to gage Jacob's expression and Esme's nearly black eyes turned to me with a warm and comforting expression on her face that made tears once again line my eyes before she turned her gaze to Jacob. "Bella is part of our family now, and through her so is Aurora. We do all we can to protect our family."

"Yeah," Jacob said, his voice tight and obviously not liking the idea that vampires considered me part of their family, but thankfully he was keeping control of his emotions at the moment. I looked up at him as I wrapped my hand around his muscular arm rather than continuing to let it rest there and he glanced at me, before he looked at the others once again. "This really is a family and it's as strong as the one I was born into," he finished quietly as he looked back outside, his expression serious. "I know what I have to do," he said before he looked back at Carlisle and Esme. I had no idea what to make of the look on Jacob's face, and an unsettling feeling twisted my stomach.

"Jacob," I whispered and he looked back at me. "What do you have to do?" I asked my voice a little louder and he sighed quietly.

"Come with me," he said before he opened the door we stood by and I lowered my hand from his arm before I followed him outside on to the deck, shivering a bit since it was rather chilly out that afternoon and my coat was still inside. The sweater I was wearing didn't really provide much warmth now that I wasn't inside.

Jacob let go of my hand when he felt me shiver and wrapped his left arm around my upper waist, pulling me close to his side and I wrapped my right arm around his lower back as we walked to the stairs and descended them before we walked into the trees towards the area where Jacob, Seth, and Leah took turns sleeping. The very place I had found Wolf Jacob asleep a week earlier and took comfort in his warm fur. When we reached the large tree, Jacob sat down onto the ground at the base of the tree and pulled me down with him, settling me onto his lap and wrapping his arms around me while my right arm wrapped around his shoulders and my left hand rested on his chest.

"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" I asked quietly and Jacob sighed as his right hand slid down from my hip and ran across the outside of my jean clad left thigh before he rested his hand on my knee.

"Not stupid, just something I'm not looking forward to," Jacob said and I frowned before he leaned in and whispered my ear. "I can't tell you exactly what it is until it's done. Seth and Leah can't know, and they might be able to hear us." I nodded subtly before I turned my head and easily caught his lips with mine. Jacob was surprised by my sudden movement and at first he didn't kiss me back, but it was barely a second later that his mouth began moving against mine. His hand left my knee and cupped my face as the kiss grew more intense.

It had been a week, _a week_, since Jacob and I had shared a proper kiss. Meaning other than kisses on each other's foreheads or cheeks and quick pecks on the lips, we hadn't _really_ kissed. It had felt like even longer than that, but Jacob was certainly making up for lost time as his hand slid up into my hair, pulling the hair tie from my hair and lacing his fingers through my hair as it fell down my back. I shifted so I was straddling him, breaking our kiss for less than a second, and once I was settled Jacob gripped my backside firmly in his left hand. I moaned quietly into kiss as I rolled my hips against Jacob's lap without really thinking, earning a soft growl from Jacob in the process.

"We really can't do this right now or here," Jacob said after he slowly pulled his lips from mine and settled his hands on my outer thighs as he looked at me with heavy lidded eyes. True, it probably wasn't the best time or place for us to be making out but it wasn't like we were going to do anything more than that. I'd just gotten a little carried away because it had been ages since I had had any proper alone time with my boyfriend, and while Cora and the others were good distractions they couldn't really make me forget things like kissing Jacob did.

"We're just kissing, Jacob," I said, my mouth moving and brushing over his as I spoke because I had moved in to him again and laced my right hand into his short hair. His grip on my thighs tightened as I pressed a soft kiss to his lips before I pulled back a bit so my blue eyes met his brown. "Don't you like kissing me anymore?" I asked as I batted my eyes innocently and Jacob rolled his eyes as his hands slid up my thighs to grip my hips before he pulled my body so I was completely pressed up against him.

"Does that _feel_ like I don't like kissing you anymore, Rory?" he asked with a grin as I gasped and felt my cheeks flush.

"No," I managed to whisper and Jacob's grin turned into a smile before he caught my lips with his in a soft and tender kiss that only left me wanting more when he pulled back.

"There is nothing I want more than to just get lost with you out here, Aurora, but I can't," he said and I nodded in understanding. He was going to do something that would help Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett hunt so that Carlisle could be at his best for Bella when she gave birth. I had no clue what he was going to do, but whatever it was it was something that he really didn't want to. I could see it in his eyes as he looked at me, trying to figure out if I really understood or if I was just putting up a front and was angry with him.

"I understand, Jacob, and I'm sorry I got carried away," I said as I shook my head, my hair falling slightly into my face in the process. "It's just been too long since we've been like this, and I've really missed it. I've missed you," I finished as my right hand left his hair and I slid my hands down his shoulders to rest on his chest.

"I've missed you too," he admitted. "I know it's only been a little over a week since all hell broke loose, but it feels like it's been even longer than that."

"I can't disagree with you on that," I said heavily before I let out a soft sigh and smiled slightly at him. "But when this is all over and everything's settled down, I don't care how cold it is we're going to spend an entire weekend at our spot and not leaving the tent." The smile he gave me was strained, almost like he didn't believe that there would be a positive ending to this mess but thankfully he didn't argue with me. He simply nodded his head as he raised his right hand to the side of my face and pushed my hair back before he ran his thumb along my cheek.

"Promise?" he asked and I smiled as I nodded my head.

"Promise," I whispered back before I leaned forward and kissed him, cementing that promise and hoping that that day would come sooner rather than later.

* * *

Night had fallen and while I should have already been home for a while now, I was still at the Cullens' place. I would probably catch hell from Charlie when I finally got home, especially after that phone call he had had with Bella, but I'd use Cora as an excuse and say I had lost track of time. Jacob had just left with Seth and Leah in tow to provide a diversion so Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett could hunt; however, just _how_ Jacob was going to distract the others I had no idea. I just knew that it was something that he did not want to do in the end. I sighed heavily as I walked up the stairs and headed towards the living room where I found Alice and Rosalie sitting with Bella.

"Hey," I said as I ran both my hands through my hair since my hair tie was MIA because Jacob had tossed it in the woods somewhere before I walked over to them. I sank down onto the floor in front of the chair Bella was sitting in only to have both Alice and Rosalie look at me with grins on their picture perfect faces. "What?" I asked as I looked between them, and Bella looked just as curious as me as to why Alice and Rosalie were grinning at me like idiots.

"What were you and the pup doing outside for the last hour and a half?" Rosalie asked and my cheeks flushed as I sat a little straighter and tugged on the hem of my cream sweater.

"Talking," I said awkwardly, which earned light laughs from all three girls in front of me. "What?" I asked yet again while my cheeks flushed red. "We did talk."

"Well, you must not have talked all the time because your tinted chap stick is supposed to be on your lips not around them and no matter how much you try to tame that hair, Aurora, it's not going to work," Rosalie said through her grin.

"Shut up," I said quietly as I tucked my hair behind my ears as I blushed even deeper, which only made the girls laugh once again. "Anyway, what were you guys talking about when I came up?"

"Baby names," Bella said.

"Really?" I asked excitedly. "What have you been tossing around?"

"Well, I was thinking about EJ, for a boy," Bella said carefully as she looked at me. I wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but I smiled at her.

"EJ standing for what?" I asked.

"Edward Jacob," Bella said and now I knew why she was apprehensive. However, I just smiled at her.

"Cute," I said simply, which earned me a small smile from tired looking cousin.

"Cute?" Rosalie asked and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's boring, dull, and . . . common."

"Do you want me to get a thesaurus out of Carlisle's office so you can find a few better adjectives than those, Rose?" I asked with a teasing grin earning a look from the vampire that would have frightened me to my core a week ago, but now that we were friends Rosalie didn't scare me as much as she used to. She still scared me of course, but I knew what buttons to push to stay on her good side.

"Funny, Aurora," she said, her lips twisting into a grin, and I shrugged.

"I try," I said dryly earning an eye roll from my blonde friend and a tinkling laugh from Alice while Bella just smiled.

It was then that the loud howling of wolves echoed throughout the house making all of our postures to stiffen in response. It only went on for a minute, but when it was over the four of us sat in relatively silence for several long minutes, Rosalie and Alice glancing my way. Finally, having enough of Alice and Rosalie's glances, I thought it best to act like the whole howling incident hadn't just happened. If I thought about it too much, I would worry that something had happened to Jacob, Seth, or Leah; and since I couldn't tell the wolves apart by their howls like Jacob I would worry until one or all three of them came back.

"So, what have you decided if it's a girl?" I asked after I roughly cleared my throat and thankfully Rosalie rolled with me on continuing our conversation.

"Oh, it's even worse than the boy's name," Rosalie said as she shook her head.

"Rose," Alice chided. "It's not that bad."

"I've been playing around with Esme and Renee," she said and I tilted my head out of curiosity, "and I came up with Renesmee." I righted my head as I looked at Bella and made a contemplative face.

"Renesmee?" I asked, testing it out.

"Yeah," Bella said with a nod.

"It's certainly different, but it's not terrible, Rose," I said as I looked to the blonde who rolled her eyes with an unneeded sigh before she looked back at Bella.

"Can't we come up with something just a little more classic? What's wrong with Katherine or Elizabeth or Meredith?" Rosalie asked and it was then that I heard heavy and familiar footsteps heading up the stairs and I saw a rush of blue out of the corner of my eye. I looked away from the girls and towards my left only to let out a relieved sigh when I saw Jacob standing near the stairs with Edward.

They spoke briefly before Jacob pretty much shoved his way pass Edward and started walking into the living room. He glanced at Bella and the others before his eyes landed on me as he came to a stop. I was quick to get to my feet and walked over to him. His right arm shot out and wrapped around my waist before he pulled me into him. As I wrapped my left arm around his back and rested my right hand on his chest I could tell his entire body was tense and the stony look he had on his face was not comforting in the least.

"Everything okay?" I asked him quietly and he looked at me as I noticed Edward walking over to join us all in the living room and he nodded.

"Yeah," Jacob replied quietly before he kissed my forehead and looked at Bella, Alice and Rosalie who had helped Bella to her feet.

"Bella, maybe you should tell Jacob what you've decided. Get his opinion," Rosalie suggested and I smiled as I looked up at my boyfriend who looked confused.

"What now?" Jacob asked, sounding almost alarmed and pissed at the same time, and Edward laughed quietly from where he stood behind us. Jacob turned, taking me with him so we could see both Edward and the girls with ease.

"Rose is trying to talk Bella out of her baby names," Edward said with a smile.

"She hates them," Bella explained.

"They're really not bad," I said as I looked up at him and I smiled.

"Well, if Aurora likes them, I like them," he said as he turned his eyes from me to Bella who gave me a tentative smile. "What are they?" he asked as his right hand moved from the side of my waist to rest on my right hip.

"If it's a boy, EJ; Edward Jacob," she said, "and for a girl I played around with our moms' names; Renee and Esme; and came up with Renesmee." Jacob was quiet and I looked up at him and held back a laugh at the expression that was on his face before he nodded his head slightly.

"R-R-Renesmee?" he asked and Edward started chuckling. I could only imagine what Jacob was thinking, especially since Edward was laughing about it, and it wouldn't surprise me if he made a mental smartass remark about it.

"Too weird?" Bella asked.

"Um," Jacob drew out as he looked down at me and I shrugged my right shoulder as I smiled up at him, but Edward cut off whatever Jacob was going to say.

"No, it's not too weird," Edward said. "It's unique, which certainly fits the situation. I like Renesmee." Jacob let out a silent chuckle before he leaned down, his lips brushing against my left ear as he spoke to me in a tone that only I (and the three vampires in the room obviously) would hear.

"If you come up with some crazy name for our kids, Rory, I will not pull an Edward and I will call you on it," he whispered breathily in my ear making me laugh before I turned my head and kissed his cheek. My heart may have jumped at the thought of having children with Jacob, but that future with him wasn't an 'if' kind of future. It was a 'when' kind of future and it didn't scare me like it probably should have, especially since I was still ten months away from turning eighteen and had a lot I wanted to do with my life before I started popping out Jacob's babies.

"No worries. I'm more of a traditionalist," I said back just as quietly and Jacob smiled at me. However, our happy bubble was soon popped when a sickening cracking sound echoed through the room. I looked away from Jacob and towards Bella who was bent backwards in a way that a human body should not be bent. "Oh my God," I said as I moved away from Jacob and started for her as she began to fall to the floor. However, before I could take a step Edward was there and caught her head before she hit. The other four of us crowded around her, but Bella couldn't really speak, only moan in severe pain and I knew something was wrong.

"We've got to get her downstairs and into Carlisle's office," Edward said and in a flash he scooped Bella up from the floor and took her out of the room. Rosalie and Alice were quick to follow and I made to go with them, but Jacob grabbed me by my upper arms.

"You don't want to be there for this, Aurora," he said, his face serious as I looked up at him. "It won't be pretty."

"I don't care, Jacob, I have to be there for her," I said as I tried to shake his hands off my still sore arms, but he held me in place.

"Please, Aurora, I don't want you to watch her die," he said and I froze as I looked up at him.

"She's not going to die," I said tightly. "Now, let me go, Jacob, there isn't time."

"All right," he whispered before he let me go. I walked around him and jogged towards the stairs with him hot on my heels. We went downstairs and into Carlisle's office and where he his medical table and equipment set up. Edward and put a moaning Bella on the table and with Alice's help was prepping Bella to have the baby.

"Rosalie, pass the morphine," Edward said, and Rosalie did as he asked while I rushed over and stood at Bella's side. She looked up at me, her eyes glassy and I put a comforting hand on her shoulder. However, my hands were trembling and I wasn't sure how much comfort my touch would bring given the amount of pain she was likely in.

"Carlisle said the placenta must have detached," Alice said, and it was then that I noticed she was on her phone.

"What does that mean?" I asked her, my heart racing, and she looked at me. Bella grunted and I looked to see Edward shoot the morphine into Bella's left thigh.

"Nothing good," Jacob said quietly as he came up behind me and I looked up at him as I fought against the tears that stung at my eyes.

"He's coming as fast as he can, but-," Alice started, but Rosalie interrupted.

"We'll have to do it," she said as she grabbed a scalpel from the table and my hand tightened on Bella's shoulder.

"Rose!" Edward said as he grabbed her wrist. "Let the morphine spread."

"There's no time," Rosalie said. "He's dying."

"Get him out now!" Bella yelled and Edward reluctantly let go of Rosalie's hand.

"Bella, look at me," I said firmly as I looked at my cousin, intent on not watching Rosalie cut her open. Bella's brown eyes met my blue for only a second before she closed them and let out scream of intense pain. I grasped onto her hand with mine and tightened my hold on her shoulder to try and holder her still.

"Rosalie, don't!" Jacob shouted before he was suddenly leaping over the table and tackling the vampire to the floor.

"Alice, get her out of here!" Edward ordered as Jacob came back to around to stand behind me as Edward moved to the other side of the bed. Bella was screaming and in unimaginable pain and there was nothing I could do to try and help her.

"Edward, you have to do something," I said quickly as a few tears fell. "You have to change her or she's going to die right now."

"I can't," Edward said and I looked at him. "I can't whist he's still in there. I've got to get him out first. Talk to her." I nodded and looked back at Bella who was thrashing, but still holding on to my hand in the process.

"Stay focused, Bella," I said as calmly as I could, but my voice was shaking. "Stay focused for the baby and keep your heart beating."

"He's suffocating!" Bella cried out and I glanced at Edward at the worst time possible because at the moment I chose to look at him he had bent down and literally bit open Bella's stomach. She was screaming and thrashing still and I quickly looked way from Edward as he wiped his mouth and went back in. It seemed like forever, but I was sure it was barely thirty seconds later that Bella had stopped thrashing and Edward laughed quietly before I heard the sounds of a baby crying. I looked away from Bella's now calm face and towards Edward who was holding a blood and tissue covered baby.

"It's Renesmee," he said simply and my hold on Bella's hand tightened while hers on mine had gone slack.

"It's a girl, Bella," I said weakly and she smiled as she looked at her baby.

"You're beautiful," she said weakly before Edward brought Renesmee closer to Bella. She couldn't really hold the baby, but she managed to hold the little girl close to her until Renesmee bit her, making me wince while Edward quickly pulled the little girl away from Bella. I looked at Bella and pushed some of her damp limp hair away from her face as she smiled wistfully at her daughter, but then what could only be described as blankness settled on her face.

"Bella?" I asked as my hand moved to her shoulder and I shook her gently, but I got no response. "Bella?" I screamed, my voice more of a shriek, before Jacob gently moved me aside and started performing CPR. How he knew it I didn't care, I was just glad that he did. I stood back, hands shaking as I made to raise them to my mouth only to stop when I saw the bit of blood that covered them. I looked down at myself and saw that my cream sweater was pretty much covered in Bella's blood around my hip area and I felt sick to my stomach. It must have happened when Edward bit into Bella and my tears started falling in earnest then.

"I'll take the baby, Edward," Rosalie said, coming from seemingly nowhere, as Edward wrapped up the baby. "I promise that I'm okay," she said and Edward handed Renesmee to Rosalie before he quickly moved back to Bella's side.

"Jacob, move," Edward said before he appeared with a very large syringe in his hand and Jacob voiced my question.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's my venom," Edward said before he stabbed the needle into Bella's chest, making me let out a quiet sob and wince, which drew Jacob's eyes to me.

"Aurora," he breathed before he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest as I clung to his shirt before I turned my head towards Edward and Bella. Edward pulled the needle away with an expectant look on his face, but when nothing happened panic fluttered across his face. He tossed the syringe aside and started doing chest compressions on Bella's chest.

"It's supposed to be working," Edward said quietly. "Bella, come on."

"Why isn't it working?" I asked weakly, but no one responded to my question. Edward looked on the verge of having a panic attack and Jacob was doing his best to comfort me as he kept his own emotions in check. "Oh my God," I said after several quiet beats of watching Edward frantically trying to get something to happen. More tears started to fall and Jacob's arms tightened around me as I once again buried my face in his chest.

"I won't kill you," I heard Jacob say as I cried, and I knew he was talking to Edward. "That'd be too easy. You deserve to live with this." Jacob lifted me from the floor then and cradling me in his arms walked out the patio doors that led to the backyard. I was lost in my tears as I felt him walk down a set of stairs before he lowered my feet back to the ground and let me sob into his chest. "It's going to be okay, Rory," he whispered as he ran his right hand over the back of my head, smoothing out my hair while his left arm was wrapped around my back and held my body tight to his. "It's going to be okay."

"She didn't make it, did she?" I heard Seth ask heavily.

"No," Jacob said, his voice unsteady, but after a second I pulled back and shook my head.

"She can't be," I whispered as I looked up at my boyfriend. "Jacob, she can't be dead."

"That thing killed her, Aurora, just like we all told her it would," he said and I shook my head once again.

"No!" I shouted. "She's not dead."

"You saw her, Aurora," he said heavily as he raised his hands to my face and wiped at my tears with his thumbs. He also had tears in his eyes as he looked at me and steely expression on his face. "She's dead and so is that thing," he let go of my face then and took several steps away from me before he started walking around the house. It took a second for me to comprehend what he had just said and when he did, I shook my head but he was already inside. There would be no way I would be able to stop him because despite me being his imprint, he wouldn't listen to me.

"Seth," I said as I looked at him, "I know he's your alpha, but please . . . please don't let him kill her." Leah looked at me like I was crazy, but Seth just squared his shoulders and nodded his head before he raced inside.

"Are you serious?" Leah asked as she watched her brother run off, not sparing her a glance. "That thing killed your cousin," Leah said as she rounded on me.

"Bella's not dead, and that this is a baby," I said firmly as I met Leah's gaze and she shook her head before she scoffed and walked away from me. I stood there for a minute alone, doing my best to get myself together but I call kept seeing in my mind's eye was Bella's life slipping away from her. However, I refused to believe she was dead. Edward's venom was working its way through her system and before too long Bella was going to wake up, right as rain, and really get to hold her daughter for the first time.

"Aurora, get inside," Edward ordered and I turned around just as he, Alice, and Jasper descended the stairs behind me.

"Why?" I asked and Alice looked at me.

"Sam and the others are coming," she said and my posture stiffened as I looked at Edward.

"No," he said firmly.

"Yes," I said. "They can't hurt me, Edward, and they're going to have to get through me to get to you." I heard growling then and turned around to see the guys, aside from Sam all of whom I still considered my friends, in their wolf forms slowly approaching.

"We're outnumbered," Jasper said.

"By a lot," Alice added as the wolves lined up and my eyes fell on Sam who was growling and barring his teeth as he looked at the vampires behind me.

"Stop this," I said as I slowly started to walk towards them, shaking like a leaf in the process.

"Aurora," Edward said quietly, his voice strained and tight, but I pressed on.

"Just stop," I said. "I've seen the baby for myself, Sam, and it's just that: a baby." Sam growled as he looked at me, the other wolves glancing at from their alpha to me a few times. "Bella's not dead. She's changing." Sam only continued to growl at me before I heard one of the wolves whine and Edward call out.

"No! Aurora move!" Edward yelled, but before I could react to Edward's words Sam lunged forward right paw raised and swiped at me. The force of his blow sent me flying in the air and into a tree twenty feet from where I had been standing, the wind getting knocked out of me and likely a rib or two breaking in the process before I hit the ground.

My stomach burned fiercely as I laid there, struggling to get my breath, my hands went to my stomach only to feel that my sweater was wetter than it had been and getting wetter by the second. Feral growls met my ears then and after finally catching my breath I saw that Edward, Jasper, and Alice were fighting the wolves. Sam had Edward pinned to the ground and as far as I could tell Jared was on top of Alice while Jasper was trying to fend off two others that I couldn't quite make out, but my eyes were on Sam and Edward.

"No," I whispered weakly and tried to sit up only to cry out in pain and fall back as tears once again started to fall and more blood started to pump out of my stomach. "No," I whispered again before black spots started to edge my vision. However, relief washed over me when I saw Esme and Carlisle push Sam off of Edward. "Thank God," I whispered as more tears started to fall as the fighting continued. The wolves were starting to blend together and I couldn't tell one from the other anymore as I grew dizzy and the black spots got bigger.

"Aurora's hurt, badly," I faintly heard Edward say.

"Aurora!" Jacob roared before I heard the familiar sound of clothes shredding.

It was getting harder to stay awake and I didn't even have the strength anymore to keep my hands pressed against the bleeding wounds on my stomach. My hands fell limply to my sides as I stared up at the night sky and the trees blocking my view of the stars that were out that clear night. It was funny how there was complete and utter chaos around me, but I felt surprisingly at ease as my battered and achy body began to relax. I knew that likely meant that death was coming, and at that my thoughts turned to Jacob. Would he be okay with me gone? Would he find a way to live on? I'd want him to. I wouldn't want him to do what Taha Aki did after Third Wife's death and disappear into the wild forever. I'd want him to find some way to be happy. He deserved to be happy.

Suddenly, a warm and familiar touch was on my face turning my head slightly to the left and through my spotty vision floated Jacob's face, which made me smile slightly.

"Jacob," I whispered, not managing to get out much more than that.

"Carlisle!" he shouted over his bare shoulder before he returned his dark tear filled eyes to my face. "Aurora, do not die on me. Stay with me." The darkness grew harder and harder to fight as I felt cold hands against my skin. "Do something, please," Jacob begged.

"She needs blood and surgery," Carlisle said solemnly. "We have to get her to the hospital, and we have to hurry. She doesn't have much time left." I was lifted from the ground then, and the pain was just too much to bear.

"Jacob," I whimpered one last time before the darkness finally won.


	32. Chapter 32

Hey everybody! First, I have got to say thank you all so very much for your feedback on this story. I honestly never expected to get 500 reviews, especially since this story is a good ways from being complete. I love writing fan fiction and knowing that you guys enjoy what I put up only makes me want to write more and get the chapters out as fast as I can. Sometimes stuff gets in the way and I take a little longer than I'd like to post, but you guys stick with me. I know I've said it before, but you all are seriously the best and I am very grateful that you take time out of your lives to read this story and my others and let me know what you all think about them. It means more to me than you know, so, thank you. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and as always let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter Thirty-Two**

_Third Person POV_

Jacob stood in front of the window, staring outside but not really seeing anything as his mind was too focused on the girl lying on the hospital bed behind him. He turned his head and looked over his left shoulder, just to make sure she was still there even though he could hear her heart steadily beating in her chest. With a heavy sigh, he uncrossed his arms from in front of his chest before he walked back over to the bed and lifted her left hand from where it rested beside her. He loosely laced the fingers of his left hand with hers and ran his right hand over the top of her head as his tired and achy eyes scanned her unusually pale face.

It was hard to believe that it was only twelve hours ago that he and Carlisle had rushed Aurora to the hospital and only eight hours since Aurora had gotten out of surgery and placed into ICU. Carlisle had said that she had had an adverse reaction to the anesthesia that had been administered before the surgery, and during the surgery her heart had stopped beating twice. However, Carlisle had been able to get it going again each time and, with perfect precision that no other doctor in the world possessed, Carlisle repaired the damage Sam had caused by removing her ruptured spleen and patching up the slight gashes to her stomach and liver before he stitched her back together once again. At the thought of Sam and what he'd done, Jacob had to hold back a growl as his loose hold tightened a bit on Aurora's hand. His breathing grew heavy as the night before came back to him full force and the anger was once again coursing through his veins.

He'd heard the fight start outside and rushed out to help only to have Edward tell him that Aurora was hurt before his eyes found her lying at the base of a tree, her sweater and the ground underneath her completely soaked with her blood. He'd seen red then, and he didn't even think before his body exploded and he phased. He went right for Sam because he _knew_ it was Sam that had caused Aurora's injuries. After the way he had treated her when she'd gone to talk to him, there was little room for argument in Jacob's mind that it could have been anyone else. Plus, despite the whole situation, Jacob knew that none of the others would ever hurt Aurora. They all cared about her in their own way; just like they all cared about all the other imprints.

Fueled by anger and grief Jacob had taken Sam down with barely any conscious effort on his part even though Sam had put up a fight. Jacob had managed to break two of his former alpha's legs, slashed at and ripped at his flesh with his teeth, and broke several of Sam's ribs. His only regret during the fight was that in a few hours Sam would have healed completely, like it had never happened, and at the time Jacob had no idea if Aurora would even live given the amount of blood he had seen around her. Embry had managed to get Jacob away from Sam just as Jacob had started to go in for Sam's throat and the kill. He really was going to kill Sam every single fiber in his being had wanted him to do it, and for a moment, Jacob had been ready to fight Embry for getting in his way until Embry whined and looked towards Aurora before he returned his eyes to Jacob.

Even though the mental link between them was now nonexistent, Jacob knew that Embry was telling him to go to Aurora, that she needed him, and that was exactly what he did. He didn't care that he was naked once he managed to phase back, he just fell to his knees on the blood soaked grass next to her and took her face into his hands. She'd given him a weak smile when she saw his face, but when he had looked into her eyes it was like looking into Bella's eyes as the life slowly faded from them. He'd called out for Carlisle, not knowing what else to do, and for the first time actually trusting that the vampire would help rather than hurt Aurora. During their rush to the hospital Jacob had been convinced that she was doing to die as she laid in the backseat of Carlisle's car, her head in Jacob's lap as Carlisle sped down the road. For a fleeting moment, as her heartbeat weakened in his ears, he had actually thought of asking Carlisle to change her in order to save her. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that and she was still human and alive, but right now she was barely the latter.

There was a tube down her throat and taped to her face as a machine was helping her breath, and she was hooked up to various machines that hovered above and rested behind her bed by a variety of tubes and wires. Carlisle had told both Jacob and Charlie that despite the reaction to the anesthesia the surgery had gone well, and that Aurora was likely to recover. However, her body had been through a severe trauma and he couldn't really give them a timeline on when she would fully recover.

Jacob still wanted to kill Sam, but he knew that Aurora wouldn't want him to do that. She hadn't wanted anyone, not even Sam, to get hurt; which was why she had tried to talk to Sam once again about backing down. When Aurora woke up and was stable, Jacob would have a _talk_ with Sam, which would likely lead to another fight, but he didn't care. He wanted to hurt Sam as much as Sam had hurt him by hurting Aurora, but Jacob wouldn't even think about laying a finger on Emily to do it. So, instead, he would settle with inflicting as much physical pain as he possibly could.

Charlie had asked Jacob about a million questions while Aurora had been in surgery, but Jacob couldn't answer them. He'd barely been able to breathe let alone think of an excuse to give Charlie. Thankfully, Esme was there and relayed a believable story about how Jacob and Aurora had joined them for dinner and gone for a walk afterwards with Alice and Jasper when they came across a bear. Aurora had ended up being the bear's target and they weren't able to do anything until Aurora had been swiped at and the damage was done. At first, it had looked like Charlie was going to lay into Jacob for not being more careful but after taking a good look at Jacob he had decided against it. Instead, the two of them paced the length of the waiting room waiting for news.

Now, Charlie had gone in search of some coffee and something to eat since it was almost nine in the morning while Jacob remained behind and with Aurora. He was unwilling to leave Aurora's side until he saw her eyes open and he heard her say his name again in a way that didn't feel like a good bye to him because that was exactly what it had felt like when she had whispered his name before she lost consciousness. Sighing heavily, Jacob leaned over her and placed a kiss on her forehead, closing his eyes tightly while he ran his right hand over the top of her head.

As he pulled back, Aurora suddenly started making a choking/coughing like sound before a beeping sound echoed out in the nurses' station just outside Aurora's room. Jacob internally panicked as her body convulsed slightly on the bed, and he was worried that he had bumped something when he had kissed her and didn't notice; however, everything looked in place and he had no idea what was happening. Two nurses quickly came into the room then and one moved over to Jacob's side.

"Step back, sweetheart," the older woman with graying blonde hair said and at first Jacob hesitated. "She's fighting her breathing tube and we've got to get it out," she explained when he looked at her and Jacob let go of Aurora's hand and moved back from the bed, watching the nurses work with wide eyes.

"It's good that she's doing that right?" he asked, his fists clenching at his sides as he fought to keep his emotions in check.

"Yes," the same nurse said as she kept her eyes on her task along with the dark haired nurse. "It's a very good thing. That mean's she's ready to start breathing on her own, and she may wake up soon." Those last five words meant more to him than anything else at the moment and his fists unclenched while his shoulders relaxed in relief as he watched the nurses work. Charlie walked as one nurse turned off the machine that had been helping Aurora breathe while the other cleaned the medical tape residue from Aurora's face before she checked her vitals. Charlie had a tray with two foam cups in it and a paper bag in hand; obviously he had found the cafeteria while he'd been away.

"What's going on?" he asked as he walked further into the room and looked at Jacob with a concerned expression on his face.

"She started fighting the breathing tube," Jacob said, his eyes still on Aurora.

"That's good," Charlie said and Jacob nodded.

"Yeah," he said quietly. After speaking quietly with the dark haired nurse, who nodded and left the room, the blond nurse turned around to look at the pair, a smile on her aged face as she looked between them.

"Dr. Mitchell will be in soon to do his rounds," she said. "I'm sure once he gets a handle on Aurora's condition, he'll release her from the ICU and we'll get her settled in another room."

"Really?" Charlie asked and the nurse nodded.

"She's _much_ better than she was when she was brought in last night, and Dr. Mitchell will be sure to give you a full update in a little while," she assured them, her smile still in place. "This one's a fighter," she said before she left the room and Jacob was quick to return to Aurora's side while Charlie sat the bag and tray on the small table by the chair near the window.

With a heavy and relieved sigh, Charlie leaned forward with his palms resting on the table top before he bowed his head and closed his eyes as he fought against thankful and happy tears. He wasn't one for showing his emotions, but he already felt like he had lost Bella after her phone call yesterday afternoon, and when Esme had called and told him that Aurora was being rushed to the hospital his world was rocked even harder. He couldn't lose Aurora too; he wouldn't know how to handle it. It may have only been a handful of months since Aurora had come into his life, but she really was as good as his daughter and he loved her as though she was. Thankfully, Aurora wasn't ready to let go either and like the nurse had said, she was a fighter.

Jacob took Aurora's left hand into his right, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he raised his left hand to the right side of her face and ran his thumb along her pale cheek. "I don't know if you can hear me, baby," Jacob whispered to her, quiet enough that Charlie wouldn't hear him from where he stood, "but keep doing whatever it is you're doing and wake up soon." He leaned forward and pressed another kiss against her skin, but this time on her left cheek. "I love you, Rory," he whispered, "and I need you more than you know." He pulled back from her when he heard Charlie start to make his way over to him, and took his hand off her face.

"Come on, Jake," Charlie said before he put a hand on Jacob's left shoulder. "I brought you something to eat." Jacob looked at Charlie and nodded before he let go Aurora's hand and walked over to the small table with Charlie and sat down in one of the chairs. He ran his hand down his tired face and gratefully took the cup of coffee that Charlie handed him.

They tucked into their food, eating in a comfortable silence, but both of them glanced at Aurora every now and then; seemingly expecting her to wake up at any second. Both of their hearts were lighter now that the tube was removed and the prospect of Aurora leaving the ICU was on the horizon. She would wake up soon, both of them could feel it, and they couldn't wait for that moment to come.

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_Normal POV_

An annoying and steady quiet beeping noise slowly woke me from the deep and dreamless sleep I had found myself in. It seemed like my brain was more eager to get moving than my body since I found it nearly impossible to open my eyes, so, I took my time to get myself moving. It was during that moment that the pain assaulted me. My stomach ached and itched while my upper back on the right side, though wrapped tightly by something, throbbed with every single slow breath I took. My throat was dry and scratchy, as well as a little sore, and my tongue felt like sandpaper in my very mouth. I was confused as to why I was in such pain and why the air around me smelled like disinfectant when the memory of how I ended up in my present condition slammed into the back of my mind.

"_Jacob," _I thought as I fought a little harder to open my eyes and finally, after putting forth great effort, my eyes slowly fluttered open. Aside from the soft glow of a light above and behind the bed the room was dark. It was a bit too much for me to lift my head at the moment but since my bed was angled up a bit I settled with sweeping my eyes around to take in my surroundings. I looked down at myself and saw that I had an IV in my right arm, and a few other wires connected to me for something or other. I looked away from myself then and towards the sound of quiet snoring that I heard close by. It was then that I saw Charlie sleeping awkwardly in a chair near the window on the left side of my bed under the TV hanging in the corner and my heart almost hurt at the sight.

My eyes moved around the room once again, hoping that Jacob was close by, but other than Charlie there was no one else in the room. However, at that moment the door to my room was slowly pushed fully open before a familiar frame walked through the door. Jacob sighed as he ran his hand over the top of his hair and then down his face as he moved closer to the bed after closing the door slightly once more. He lowered his right hand to his side as he took a deep breath before his eyes found mine and he almost dropped the can of soda he hand in his left hand.

"Aurora," he breathed before he hastily put the can down on the tray that rested hovering above the foot of my bed and walked around to the left side. He encased my left hand with his right before his left hand moved to rest on my right cheek. I looked up at him as I squeezed his hand as tightly as I could, which wasn't very tight at all, before he sighed heavily and pressed his forehead to mine. "I almost lost you," he whispered, his warm breath washing across my face.

"Still here," I croaked out, my voice sounding very much unlike my own. It was raspy and deeper than usual, and it actually hurt a little bit to speak but I held back my wince as Jacob lifted his head slightly and looked at me. I licked my seriously dry lips and tried to clear my throat, but it just sounded like a rough cough. "Can I have some water?" I asked quietly, unable to hold back my wince that time around, and Jacob hesitated.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I'm going to go and get your nurse. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"I won't," I said even though I wasn't exactly sure where he was expecting me to go since I couldn't even lift my head. He nodded before he slowly pulled away from me and left the room. I sighed quietly and looked over at Charlie and cleared my throat roughly once more. "Charlie?" I asked as loudly as I could, which wasn't loud but it was enough to wake him. Shaking off his confusion by literally shaking his head, he blinked a few times and turned his head towards me, a frown on his face. "Hi," I said with a wry smile and his eyes widened before he hastily stood and quickly rushed over to the side of my bed. Without any sort of hesitation that usually came with Charlie initiating a hug or any sort of physical contact, he took my left hand in both of his.

"Thank God you're okay," Charlie said heavily before he raised his right hand to rest on top of my head. Charlie actually looked like he had tears in his eyes as he looked down at me, and I felt terrible for making him worry; especially since he'd had a rough week worrying about Bella.

"I'm sorry," I croaked out and he shook his head before he leaned forward and surprised me by kissing my forehead.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and I fought against my own tears.

"Thirsty and in a little bit of pain," I said.

"Both of those ailments I can easily remedy," a soft and kind voice said before the room was filled with a little more light. Charlie pulled away from me, but didn't leave my bedside as both of us looked towards the door. A woman who I figured was in her mid-thirties with black hair and dressed in soft pink scrubs smiled at me as she walked over to the bed with a foam cup and spoon in hand. "Hi, sweetie, I'm your night nurse, Linda," she said kindly. "I've got some ice chips for you, which I think Chief Swan can help you with since the first cup I fixed melted in your boyfriend's hand after a second." She handed the cup and spoon over to Charlie who took them with a small smile while my eyes fluttered to Jacob before I looked at Linda who had settled up at the right side of my bed. "He's got hot hands," Linda whispered at me with a wink and I blushed while Jacob chuckled. I looked back at him and he shrugged his shoulders as he grinned at me from where he stood at the foot of my bed. "Now to fix that pain situation," she said.

"It's not too bad, really," I said and she nodded.

"Well, I'll just give you a little bit of the pain medication Dr. Cullen prescribed to take the edge off for you, okay?" she asked.

"Okay," I said quietly and she smiled at me before she pulled a prepared syringe from her scrubs and then picked up the tube of my IV. I watched as she put in about a quarter of the medication that was in the syringe and smiled at me.

"There you go," she said.

"Thanks," I said quietly as a cool sensation worked its way up my arm and before she left the room the pain in my side and stomach eased considerably.

For the next little while Charlie fed me the ice chips while he gave me a fatherly lecture about not walking along trails in the woods when it was dark out and how Jacob, Jasper, Alice, and I should have known better. I was confused because I really had no idea what he was talking about and the pain medication was making everything a little fuzzy and hard for me to follow. However, I had a feeling the lecture was thanks to whatever excuse he'd been given as to how I had ended up in the hospital. It wasn't long before the ice chips were gone and my mouth and throat no longer felt like I had ate two buckets of sand, and it was then that Jacob suggested that Charlie go home and get some decent sleep.

At first, Charlie had hesitated, but after I told him that I would be fine and still there when he came back to check on me the next day, he agreed; and when Charlie left Jacob had sat down on the left side of my bed with my left forearm resting on his left thigh as he played with the fingers of my left hand. The pain medication was still working and my mind was still a little fuzzy, but after about five minutes or so I really couldn't take any more of the quiet that had settled between us.

"Jacob?" I asked gently, my voice sounding more like my own that time around, and he looked from my hand to my face with dark eyes. It was then that I got a good look at Jacob. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages, there were dark circles under his eyes which were rimmed red and tired looking. He even had a bit of stubble on his handsome face, which made me wonder just how long I had been unconscious. "How long have I been in the hospital?"

"Today was the second full day," he said heavily

"What happened?" I asked softly and Jacob's hold on my hand tightened. "Jacob?" I asked when I saw the tight expression on his face.

"What do you remember?" he asked.

"Just bits in pieces of the stuff that happened after I got hurt, but I remember everything before that," I said and Jacob nodded as I took a shallow breath and slowly let it out. "Is Sam still alive?" I asked weakly, holding Jacob's gaze.

"Unfortunately yes," he said tightly as he looked back down at my hand that was still in his. "If it wasn't for Embry, my answer would have been different though," he said quietly and I wrapped my fingers around his, the action bringing his eyes back to my questioning face. "I was going to kill him. He was as good as dead when Embry got in the way."

"What did he do to get you to stop?" I asked in a whisper.

"He pretty much reminded me that you needed me, so, I managed to phase back and rushed over to you," he said. "I thought you were as good as dead. That we weren't going to get you to the hospital in time, and I thought . . . I thought about . . .," he trailed off as he shook his head and looked down at my hand that was still wrapped around his right hand before he trailed the fingers of his left hand along my forearm before he slid them back to our joined hands. Even with the brain fog created by the pain medication, I knew what he was going to say and I squeezed his hand.

"You thought about asking Carlisle to change me, didn't you?" I asked quietly and his eyes slowly returned to my face.

"Yeah, I thought about it," he said, "but I didn't ask. You held on and fought your way back."

"If I wouldn't have made it, would you really have asked him to do that, Jacob?" I asked, genuinely curious. He didn't say anything for several long beats, his eyes scanning my face and taking in every detail that I knew he already knew better than I did.

"If it would have come to that, yeah; I would have asked him," he said finally, his brown eyes holding my blue. I wasn't sure how I felt about that because becoming a vampire myself had never crossed my mind; mostly because Jacob hated everything and anything about vampires, but also because I wasn't comfortable with the idea. I wasn't sure that I would like to live forever or drink blood to survive and I wanted to have children, a handful of them, with Jacob.

"Why? That would have made me something you hate. Something you're literally genetically programed to kill," I said and he squeezed my hand.

"It would have meant that you were still alive, Rory," he said quietly, "and at the time I thought about it, that was the only thing that mattered to me. You're my life, Aurora, without you . . . without you there's nothing for me."

"Oh Jacob," I whispered as tears lined my eyes and his hold tightened once again on my hand. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"Good," he said with a tired smile and we just looked at each other for a beat.

"You know, if you don't kiss me right now, we're going to have a few problems," I said quietly and let out a quiet scoff laugh before he rested my hand on his lap before he turned his upper torso a little more towards me. He reached out with his left hand and rested it on the bed beside my right shoulder before he carefully leaned over me and pressed his lips softly to mine. My muscles were still a bit too weak for me to throw my arms around him like I wanted, but my lips were in working order. So, I kissed him back eagerly, my lips encouraging him to not kiss me like I was made of glass, but sadly he wasn't having any of it and he continued to kiss me carefully until he slowly pulled his lips from mine. "Jacob," I whimpered in protest when he pulled back and he sighed heavily before he pressed his forehead to mine.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I said back easily before he pulled his face from mine and looked at me with another tired smile. "You look like you could sleep for days," I said as I looked up at him, his face barely three inches from mine.

"I feel like I could," he admitted with a wry smile and I smiled back at him.

"Well, it'll be a tight fit, but there's room in my bed," I said and he chuckled as he raised his left hand from the bed beside me and brushed a bit of my hair from my face.

"As tempting an offer as that is, you're-," he started but I managed to lift my head up enough to kiss him chastely, silencing him, before I pulled back slightly and took in Jacob's surprised expression.

"I may be hurt, but I will feel infinitely better if you're next to me," I whispered, my blue eyes locked with his brown.

"I don't think Linda will like finding me in your bed," he said and I shook my head slightly.

"I don't care. I need you close to me, Jacob, please," I said quietly and he took a deep breath before he nodded his head, his dark eyes scanning my face yet again.

"Okay," he said before he removed his hand from my face and helped me move slightly to the left with great care.

Once I was settled, Jacob laid down on the left side of the bed on his right side, his right arm reaching out underneath my pillow and my head. Smiling at him, I cuddled into Jacob's warmth and solid body as closely as I could while Jacob's left hand reached across me and settled on my right hip, the heat of his touch seeping in through the thin coverings and easing the slight ache in my muscles. I turned my head to the left so I was looking at him and he gave me yet another tired smile that was filled with so much love as he looked at me. I knew my expression likely mirrored his and I managed to kiss the tip of his nose, earning a small chuckle from Jacob before he playfully rolled his eyes.

"I know you're tired, baby," he said gently. "Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I now you will, Jacob, I'd never doubt that for a second," I said with a smile. I knew it was _really_ late now and despite being unconscious for a couple of days, Jacob was right. I was exhausted and even though Jacob looked like the second he closed his eyes he would be sound asleep there were still a few very important questions that I had. "May I ask you something before we go to sleep?"

"You can ask me anything, Rory," he said.

"What about Bella, Renesmee, the Cullens, Seth, and Leah?" I asked. "Are they okay?" He gave me a rueful smile before he lifted his left hand from my hip and slowly ran his index and middle finger down from my temple to my jawline; the tender touch caused goose bumps to race across my skin and my heart to skip a beat as I looked expectantly at him.

"They're all fine. Aside from Sam, you were the only one to come out of the fight with any injures," he said quietly as he looked at me and I my ears perked up when he hadn't mentioned Bella being dead. "You were right about Bella," he said softly as his hand returned to my hip. "Edward's venom worked and she's changing. Carlisle said he thinks she should wake up soon." I let out a relieved sigh and smiled at him.

"Good," I said quietly.

"When that happens, you won't be going anywhere near her for a long time, Aurora," he said seriously. I knew he wouldn't budge on that, and honestly I knew it wasn't a good idea to be around Bella right now but that didn't mean that I was really happy about it. I wanted to see with my own eyes that she was okay, but I would take Jacob's word on it.

"What about Renesmee? How is she? What's she like?"

"She's . . . fine."

"Why did you say it like that?" I asked with a small frown.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like you didn't know how to answer the question so you went with a generic answer to satisfy my curiosity and get me to shut up," I said and he raised an eyebrow. "It's a thing you do sometimes but it's not going to work this time." Jacob gave me another grin and playfully rolled his eyes.

"I haven't seen her for myself, but when Seth and Leah came by this morning to check on you Seth told me that she's already gotten a couple of teeth and she looks more like a ten month old baby than a two day old one," Jacob said. "He said that she's the cutest baby he's ever seen, but he's a bit biased."

"Why do you say he's biased?" I asked with a small smile and Jacob took a deep breath before he let out a breathy chuckle and met my gaze once again.

"Because Seth imprinted on Renesmee."


	33. Chapter 33

Hey everyone! Goodness, thank you all so very much for your reviews and adds. They really do mean the world to me. I'm sorry this chapter is late! I told several of you that I was going to try and post this chapter by Wednesday at the latest, and I would have if I hadn't threw away what I had written because I hated it. I rewrote this chapter because I wasn't happy with what I had before, and I'm still not really happy with this chapter. However, I hope you all like it. Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

The following morning, after I had my breakfast that consisted of bland chicken broth given that my stomach was still on mend and I wasn't allowed anything solid, I had pretty much ordered Jacob to go home, shower, and get some decent food in his stomach. At first he had quietly argued with me, but when I told him that it would make me feel better if he took a couple of hours to himself he reluctantly agreed. He'd been gone only about fifteen minutes when Charlie arrived at the hospital dressed in his uniform. He had to work that afternoon, but he had wanted to spend the morning with me.

It'd been nice talking with Charlie and spending a couple hours alone with him just talking about the most random things. Well, I did most of the talking while Charlie listened for most of the time we spent together. However, he seemed more than content to just listen to me blabber on about whatever. I avoided the topic of Bella knowing that he was undoubtedly still worried about her. Around noon Charlie had to leave, but I wasn't alone for long because two unexpected visitors made their way into my room. I looked at the two, beyond surprised to see them, and I really had no idea what to say to them as they moved to stand at the foot of my bed.

"Hi Aurora," Embry said lightly, his dark eyes sweeping over me and taking in what was undoubtedly my rather haggard appearance. I'd braided my hair in attempt to tame the slightly matted loose curls, but I knew it likely didn't help any. On top of being in mild pain since I didn't want to take a lot of pain medication I felt grungy and in desperate need of a bath. Quil shifted slightly as he looked at me, and the expression on his face was almost guilty. However, I wasn't really sure why Quil would feel guilty over anything. What happened certainly wasn't his fault.

"Hi," I said slowly as I looked between them. "Not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but . . . what are you doing here?"

"Charlie told Billy you woke up, and Billy told me when I asked him this morning if he'd heard how you were doing," Embry said. "How _are _you doing?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"So, what was the damage?" Quil asked quietly and I looked at him. Jacob had given me the rundown of my injuries last night, as had the doctor that had stopped in this morning to check me over; so, I was able to answer his question.

"Two broken ribs, a ruptured spleen that Carlisle had to remove, and lacerations to my stomach and liver that Carlisle repaired," I said evenly. "Apparently, I was touch and go during surgery but Carlisle was able to stabilize me, and as you can see, I lived."

"Aurora, we're sorry," Quil said suddenly and heavily as he shook his head with guilt clearly in his expression.

"Don't be," I said. "You two aren't responsible for me being in here. Sam is, and I guess I am for thinking he wouldn't actually hurt me."

"None of us understand exactly why he did it," Embry said as he shook his head. "It was like he just snapped. He let out a roar in his head when you were talking and the next thing we know he's swiping at you and ordering us to fight."

"And you didn't do anything wrong, Aurora," Quil said. "You were doing what you thought was right; and as odd as this is for me to say, you were trying to do what you could to protect your family."

"Sam is lucky that Jacob didn't shove me out of the way to finish him off like he was going to," Embry said. "He'd gotten Sam down so fast that none of us realized what had happened at first. I really thought Jacob was going to kill Sam if I hadn't gotten in between them."

"He told me he was going to," I said quietly and neither boy looked surprised. They simply nodded their heads.

"I know that if I was in Jacob's shoes, I would have done it without a second thought," Quil said quietly and both Embry and I looked at him. "You don't do that to an imprint. It's our highest law," Quil said as he looked at Embry and shook his head slightly. "I can only imagine what was going through Jacob's head since our connection's broken, but just the thought of something like that happening to Claire . . .," he trailed off as he shook his head and turned his eyes to me. "She's like a little sister to me right now. I only want her safe and happy. I want to protect her, so, my connection with her isn't like Jacob's connection with you. The two of you . . . it's deeper. That's why I think he stopped and went to you. You needed him and Embry reminded him of that."

I was pretty sure that was the most I had ever heard Quil speak in one sitting before during the months that I had known him, and that was really the most serious I had ever seen him. Quil was always laughing, joking, and acting like an ordinary seventeen, almost eighteen, year old guy; but looking at him now and how serious and stoic he looked he seemed years older and I was speechless. I truly had no idea what to say to that and Embry's next words left me just as speechless.

"I broke from Sam's pack this morning," Embry said and I turned my eyes to him. "I'm going to join Jacob, Seth, and Leah. After what Sam did to you, Aurora, I can't follow him. Not anymore."

"Me too," Quil said, bringing my eyes back to him, and I looked between both of the guys.

"What about Claire?" I asked, concerned that Sam would try and keep Quil away from Claire out of retaliation since Claire was Emily's niece.

"Sam understands us wanting to join Jacob and he didn't try and stop us," Quil said as he shook his head. "He won't stop me from seeing Claire. Emily wouldn't let him anyway."

"Good," I said quietly before I gave him a small smile, one that he was slow to return but he returned it nonetheless. "I'm sure Jacob will be happy to have you guys with him. He may not have said anything, but I know he's missed you guys and so have I." Before either boy could say anything in return Jacob walked into my room, a small bouquet of white and yellow daisies in a vase in hand, only to stop short when he saw Embry and Quil standing at the foot of my bed.

"What are you two doing here?" Jacob asked and thankfully he didn't sound angry or upset to see either of them there. He was genuinely curious as to why Embry and Quil were there and I smiled at him when his eyes quickly traveled to me as if he was making sure I was in one piece.

"They came to visit me," I said evenly and Jacob walked behind his friends before he settled himself on the left side of my bed before he sat the vase of daisies down on the small table by my bed next to the phone that rested there. "Those are really pretty," I said as I looked up at him and he turned his curious eyes from Embry and Quil, and looked down at me. "I shouldn't be surprised you remembered my favorite flower, but I am. Thank you," I said and Jacob's downturned lips curved up in a small smile before he leaned down and pressed his warm lips to my forehead in response. I closed my eyes at the contact and Jacob took hold of my left hand in his right as he righted himself. I opened my eyes and watched as he turned his head towards the guys.

"Is visiting Rory the only reason you guys are here?" Jacob asked and Embry and Quil looked at each other before they turned their eyes to him at the same time.

"No," Embry said.

"We want to join you, Seth, and Leah," Quil said.

"You are going to break from Sam?" Jacob asked, sounding far more surprised than I expected him to be.

"Yeah," the two other boys harmonized.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Jacob asked.

"We already did," Quil said.

"This morning before we borrowed Old Quil's car to come visit Rory," Embry finished. "After what happened, we want to stand with you." When Jacob didn't say anything in response I looked away from the guys and up at Jacob, wondering why he hadn't said anything only to see him looking at me.

"What do you think? Should I let them join my pack?" he asked me quietly, his expression serious but amusement in his eyes as he looked down at me.

"Well," I said slowly as I fought against a smile. However, my poker face at the moment wasn't as good as Jacob's. "I don't see why two more won't hurt," I said, smiling as I looked at Embry and Quil to see both of them looking at me.

"I think you're right," Jacob said, his tone light which told me that he was smiling, and I watched as both Embry and Quil looked at Jacob, smiled, and chuckled quietly as they looked at each other. Their postures finally relaxed and the tension that had been in the room for the first minutes of Jacob's arrival was completely gone. Jacob let go of my hand then and walked over to his friends, sharing 'man hugs,' and laughing quietly.

For the first time since we found out about Bella being pregnant and the mess that followed it, I saw my Jacob as he stood smiling with Embry and Quil. Gone was the brooding and tensely shouldered guy I had become accustomed to over the last week, and in his place was my semi-serious yet happy-go-lucky boyfriend that I had honestly missed.

Despite the fact that I was currently laid up in the hospital and everything that happened to lead up to this point, I was happy. Happy that Jacob had his best friends back, happy that Bella was alive (sort of), happy that Renesmee wasn't hurt, and happy that all seemed to be right in the world again for now. I sent up a silent prayer as I watched the boys interact that I could continue to say that for a while. It would be a miracle if that happened, but one could hope.

* * *

"Jacob, you should go and get something to eat," I said as stirred my bland broth (beef this time around) with my spoon and looked expectantly at my boyfriend as he sat in a chair at the side of my bed and watched me. Embry and Quil had left a little while ago saying that they were going to go to the Cullens' to apologize and Jacob had asked them to tell Seth and Leah that they could go home when they wished. Apparently, the ban from all of our return to La Push had been lifted now that things were resolved with everyone. I was sad to see Embry and Quil go but I'd knew I'd be seeing them again soon. After all, they were now part of Jacob's pack.

Shortly after Embry and Quil had left, my nurse had came in to make sure the rather nasty looking stitches on my stomach were showing no sign of infection and to clean them. The stitches Carlisle had used to put my flesh together were small staples that puckered my skin a bit more. When I has asked the nurse why he had used staples, and she said that given the location of my injuries and Carlisle's surgical incisions they were required. It had hurt like a bitch when the nurse cleaned them, but it needed to be done.

However, ever since my nurse had cleaned the stitches, Jacob's eyes barely left me. Over the last few hours, Jacob had just sat there watching me. I usually didn't mind Jacob watching me, I was used to his constant gaze when he was close by and found it comforting and welcoming most of the time, but it was starting to get to be a little too much. Especially since he really hadn't said much of anything, only talking when I asked him a question, and he had just simply watched me like I was going to disappear if he looked away for longer than five seconds. Plus, with his constant eyes on me I was finding rather hard to keep my 'happy' mask in place. I wasn't all that good at keeping things from Jacob, and I didn't want to let him know just what was going on in my head at the moment. Not yet anyway since he looked like he was ready to charge into La Push and kill Sam without much thought to it again.

"I'm fine, Aurora," he said evenly, his dark eyes meeting my blue.

"Jacob, I'm not saying you have to go home again to eat or anything. Just run down to the cafeteria, grab something, and come back," I said.

"Aurora, really, I'm fine. I ate a big breakfast when I went home to shower and stuff so I'm not-," he said, but I shook my head as I put my spoon down and pushed the tray table away from me slightly and interrupted whatever excuse he was about to spin.

"You're not going to give me an excuse and say you're not hungry or anything like that because I'll call bullshit," I said earning a raised eyebrow from Jacob. "I know you put me and my well-being over and above yours all the time, but I'm going to get seriously pissed off if you don't take care of yourself while I'm held up in here. It's not like I'm going anywhere any time soon, Jacob. You don't have to watch me like I'm going to disappear."

I looked away from him and at my bowl of loop warm broth as I took a slow shallow breath to get myself together. I was really getting worked up over nothing really, but it was because I was worried about Jacob and worried that I was going to crumble and say what was really on my mind. So, I focused my attention on Jacob not taking care of himself to hold onto frustration so I didn't blurt out my feelings. He'd looked terrible when I had woke up yesterday, and even though he'd gone home, showered, shaved, and changed his clothes he still looked like he'd been run over by a bus or something. Now that I was awake and actually able to move around a bit, he had no reason to be worried. I wasn't going anywhere, and before too long I'd be released and life would go on as usual.

"Aurora," Jacob pretty much whispered before his hot left hand was on the right side of my face and turning my head towards him. I looked up at him and sighed heavily at the concerned look on his face. I loved him all the more for the fact that he was so worried about me, I really did, but I wanted him to be happy that I was awake and okay and not focusing on what almost happened. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just worried about you. I knew it was bad, but I hadn't actually _seen_ it until today."

"Yeah, no bikinis or crop tops for me for a little while, huh? I even lost my belly button ring," I joked trying to get Jacob to smile, but I failed miserably in my attempt because I couldn't even muster a smile as I spoke. I really shouldn't have said anything like that because thinking about it only made my mask slip a little more, and if I didn't tread lightly, it would fall off completely.

My stomach was no longer smooth and firm like it had been. I was trying to be light hearted about the whole thing, but I wasn't exactly thrilled with the fact that when I was healed I would have four jagged scars that puckered my skin from one side of my waist to the other, the two just under my ribcage being the worst of the four and where most of the damage had been done. Granted, I wasn't as bad off as Emily because Emily couldn't hide her scars. Her scars were on full display for all the world to see and I would be able to hide mine but just wearing a shirt. However, I was a seventeen year old girl and while I prided myself on not being particularly vain and overly concerned with my appearance, my body was now, for the lack of a better word, deformed.

"It's not funny, Aurora, you almost died," Jacob said his voice tight as he lowered his hand from my face and frowned deeply as he looked down at me. I knew that look. It was the 'you're crazy' look that was interchangeable with his 'you're pissing me off' look that he usually reserved for Edward or one of the Cullens when they got, in his opinion, too close to me.

"I _know_ it's not funny, Jacob, but you need to stop brooding about it because there's nothing you can do to change what happened. For the next sixty or seventy years you're going to see the scars on my stomach every time I take off my shirt and you can't scowl and go silent when I do. It's going to be a serious mood killer in certain situations and not exactly a confidence boost," I said, my voice trembling slightly and giving away that I was not as 'okay' as I had been letting everyone think I was because during my little rant I knew my mask had fallen off completely thanks to the wayward tears that rolled down my cheeks. Jacob's frown melted away as he eyes held mine and understanding flashed in his eyes as he raised his right hand back to my face and used his thumb to wipe away the tear trail on that cheek.

"Talk to me," he said as he shook his head slightly. "This is about more than me not going to get something to eat. What's going on in that head of ours, Rory?"

"It's nothing, Jacob," I said as I shook my head and wrapped my right hand around Jacob's wrist to pull his hand away, but he held firm and didn't budge. Curse his shape shifter strength.

"Now I'm calling bullshit," he said, throwing my words back at me, and I averted my eyes to his t-shirt clad chest while my hand remained wrapped around his wrist.

"It's stupid," I said quietly as I stared at his chest. "It's a really stupid thing to be upset over, Jacob; especially, since I am not as bad off as Emily." Without taking his hand off my face, Jacob turned his body slightly and sat down on the side of my bed and I turned my eyes back to his face.

"You're worried about the scars," he said quietly, his expression soft and his eyes warm.

"You're not exactly thrilled with them either," I said as I lowered my hand from his wrist. "I can only imagine what they're going to look like when they've healed. Not only are they going to remind you about what happened every time you look at me, but they're going to be ugly."

"They'll be ugly to you, but not to me. After a while I won't think about how you got them because they'll be a reminder about how lucky I am and how strong you are," he said and I didn't bother to hold back my tears and Jacob easily wiped the few that fell down my right cheek away. "You're even more beautiful to me, Aurora, and I don't care about the scars you'll have."

"That's because I'm your imprint," I said rather weakly and Jacob shook his head.

"No, that's because I love you. Imprint or not, Aurora, I know I would have fallen in love with you eventually after meeting you. You have no idea how amazing you are. You're not perfect, hell no one is, but baby you're perfect for me and I would have figured it out sooner or later even without the whole wolf thing." I knew he wasn't lying and the warmth from his touch and his words spread through my body as we stared at each other.

"I love you so much, Jacob," I said and he gave me a small smile before he leaned in and kissed me gently. I raised my left hand and rested it on his neck as I kissed him back. Our conversation had done a complete one-eighty, going from me scolding him about not taking care of himself to how I was suddenly insecure, but I didn't care because I needed that pep-talk. Jacob put worry and fears at ease because when it came down to it I didn't really care what the world at large thought about me. I cared about what Jacob thought when he looked at me, and if the scars that were bound to come wouldn't bother him, then I wouldn't let them bother me. Slowly, Jacob ended our kiss but he didn't pull away. Instead, he pressed his forehead to mine while his hand remained on my cheek and mine on his neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but when I saw them . . . it only made me want to kill Sam all over again."

"Don't," I whispered and he lifted his forehead from mine before I opened my eyes to meet his gaze. "We'll probably never know what set him off, but it will be better in the long run for everyone if we just forgive and forget."

"I can't do that, Aurora," he said as he shook his head. "Not yet."

"Will you at least try?" I asked.

"After I talk to him," he said.

"Talk, right? Not fight," I said and Jacob took a deep breath.

"I can't promise that," he said and I sighed heavily as I played with the short hairs on the back of his head after I slid my hand up into his hair. I should have known better to ask that question, but I really couldn't fault Jacob. He raised his right hand and wiped at the tear trail on my left cheek. "No more tears, okay? And no more worrying about the scarring," he said as he lowered both of his hand from my face and took hold of my left hand, pulling it down from his neck, and laced his fingers with mine.

"Okay," I whispered as I gave him a small smile that he returned with one of his own before he leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. Once again he rested his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I said back before a knock sounded on my open room door. Jacob lifted his head and turned to look towards the door, and my eyes followed his only to smile widely upon seeing my new visitors.

"Knock, knock," Cora said cheerily as she, Derek, Owen, and Lynn walked into the room. Cora had a basket of flowers and Derek was carrying a bunch of balloons that I knew Cora probably forced into his hands while Owen and Lynn's hands were empty as they smiled at me. "We heard you were awake, so, we thought we'd come by and see you," Cora said before her eyes landed on Jacob and her smile widened. "Hey, it's Phillip!" she chirped and I laughed quietly.

"Phillip?" Jacob asked as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I smiled at him.

"I'll tell you later," I promised him and he nodded his head before he let go of my hand and stood. All four of my new friends' heads tilted back slightly as Jacob stood to his full height and I held back a laugh at Derek and Owen's expressions. They weren't short, but Jacob was much taller and broader than either boy and to people that didn't know him his size was very intimidating. "Jacob, these are my friends, Cora, Derek, Owen, and Lynn; guys, this is my boyfriend, Jacob."

"It's about time we finally got to meet you," Cora said as she put the basket of flowers down on the tray that hovered over my bed and held my forgotten dinner. Cora walked over to stand beside Jacob and she had to tilt her head back even more to look up at him. "However, I am seriously questioning your intelligence for taking Aurora on a walk through the middle of the woods at night. I mean, come on, you should have known that that wasn't the brightest idea. What the hell were you thinking?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips and looked up at him, not the least bit afraid.

Jacob looked down at Cora with both eyebrows raised before he turned his head towards me and I laughed quietly. Our evening had gone from rather depressing to entertaining in less than two seconds, and I had a feeling it would be an interesting evening.

* * *

"Jacob, honestly, I can walk," I said as he lifted me out of Charlie's cruiser and kicked the door closed before he started carrying me towards the house. "Charlie, tell him I can walk," I said as I looked towards the man who just chuckled and shook his head.

"Sorry, Aurora, I agree with Jacob about you taking it easy for now," he said as he followed behind us and I huffed as I looked up at my boyfriend who grinned at me as he waited for Charlie to pass so he could open the door. It had been two days since I woke up and I had been released from the hospital with strict orders to take it easy, but I would be going to school on Monday. I'd missed an entire week and I was not looking forward to having more makeup work than I already had despite it only being the second week of school.

"Bedroom or couch?" Jacob asked as we walked inside and I sighed quietly.

"Couch," I said and he nodded before he walked into the living room and settled me on to the familiar and comfortable couch.

I let out another sigh, this one out of comfort rather than annoyance, and looked at Jacob. He smiled at me before he sat down beside me. I moved over to him, cuddling into his side and ignoring the protest of the movement my muscles and rib made. Jacob wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head, which I had rested against his shoulder/chest, before he gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze. Charlie gave me a small and tired smile before he ran his hand over the top of his head and sighed heavily.

"Are you okay, Charlie?" I asked him and he nodded before he let out another sigh.

"Yeah, Aurora, I'm fine," he said. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked even though I knew he wouldn't.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he said before he gave me a forced smile and pointed towards the back of the house. "If you two are okay in here, I'm going to head out back and chop some wood."

"We'll be fine," I said, a small frown on my face.

"Do you want some help, Charlie?" Jacob asked and he shook his head.

"No thanks, Jake," Charlie said heavily before he turned and walked down the foyer hall to the kitchen with heavy footsteps.

"I'm worried about him," I said quietly before I lifted my head and looked at Jacob. "He's taking the whole Bella thing really hard, and I don't think my 'accident' didn't help him any."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do," Jacob said. I opened my mouth to reply when the front door suddenly opened and a breathless and barefoot Seth came stumbling into the house. Jacob was on full alert then and carefully untangled himself from me and stood from the couch. "Seth, what's wrong?" he asked.

"They're leaving," he panted. "They're going to take Ness and leave because once they tell Charlie Bella's dead and do the whole funeral thing, they can't risk her being seen. I . . . I . . . I don't know what to do."

"It's going to be okay, Seth," I said in a weak attempt to comfort him, but by the slightly broken look on his face I knew it didn't work.

"How can I make sure she's okay if they take her away?" Seth asked. His face was desperate as he looked at Jacob and I followed Seth's gaze. I could see that Jacob was thinking and thinking hard before he turned his eyes to me. For a moment I didn't know what he was trying to silently ask me, but after a second I caught on and shook my head.

"It'll save him the heartache of losing her completely," he said and he wasn't talking about Seth.

"You can't tell him _what_ she is, Jacob. Carlisle told me once that it was dangerous that I knew. I can't let you put him in that situation too," I said and he shook his head.

"I don't have to tell him about her and the Cullens," he said and my eyes widened.

"You want to tell him about you," I stated more than asked and he nodded. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"It'll work," Jacob said. "They won't have to say that Bella died. Do you really want Charlie to go through that, Aurora?"

"No, but . . .," I trailed off because I really had no argument against him. "Okay, but I really doubt he's going to believe you."

"That's why I have to show him," Jacob said and I sighed yet again.

"Hell, that's going to go over well," I said and Jacob grinned before he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"It'll be fine," he said before he looked at Seth and put a brotherly hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Stay with Aurora while I talk to Charlie." Seth nodded his head as Jacob lowered his hand and followed the path that Charlie had taken barely fifteen minutes earlier. I needed a distraction, something to keep me from thinking about what was about to happen outside. So, I turned my eyes to Seth.

"Tell me about Renesemee, Seth. Jacob's not exactly up to speed on the newest member of my family," I said and the boy smiled before he walked over to me and sat down next to me on the couch before he started telling me all about his imprint.


	34. Chapter 34

Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I really hope you like this one as well. Thank you for reading, and as always, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

"Aurora!" Charlie yelled from outside and Seth's posture stiffened as he stopped mid-sentence and I looked at him with wide eyes. He seemed to be listening to what was going on outside and when his eyes widened and his eyebrows rose.

"Um, you might want to go out there," he said as he turned his eyes to mine, and I let out a slew of mental curses before I waved my hands at him.

"Help me up, please," I said knowing I couldn't quite get up on my own yet. Seth was quick to his feet before he grabbed my hands and helped hoist me up from the couch. I winced slightly, but let go of his hands before I walked around Seth as quickly as my legs could take me with Seth hot on my heels. I walked outside and with Seth's assistance made my way down to the area where Charlie chopped wood. "What-," I started but stopped when I saw Wolf Jacob lying at Charlie's feet and Charlie lying back on the ground, obviously having fallen back onto the ground. Jacob's clothes laid scattered on the ground near the piled up wood and upon seeing me Wolf Jacob stood with concern in his brown eyes. "Are okay, Charlie?" I asked as Seth let go of my arm and I walked over to Wolf Jacob, putting my hand on his neck as I looked down at the man that was as good as my father.

"You knew about this?" Charlie asked as he gestured towards Jacob, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"Yes," I said slowly as Charlie scrambled up to his feet, eyes still wide and the expression on his face was a mixture of fear and concern as he looked between Jacob and I before his eyes zeroed in on my stomach for a beat. I saw his eyes darken as he looked at Jacob and before I could say anything Charlie threw out accusatory words with anger that I didn't think he was even capable of expressing.

"She wasn't attacked by a bear, was she?" Charlie asked, eyes narrowed at he stared at Wolf Jacob, and I saw Seth shuffle closer to where Charlie now stood. The fear was completely gone from Charlie's face as he glared at Wolf Jacob who whined slightly as he lowered his head. I gripped the fur on his neck and moved a little closer to him to let him know it was okay. "Did you do that to her?" Charlie nearly spat and Wolf Jacob let out a low growl as he shook his large head negatively.

"No, Charlie," I said and he turned his anger filled eyes to me only for them to soften slightly as he looked at me. "It wasn't Jacob that did this to me, but it wasn't a bear either."

"Then who or what was it?" he asked and I sighed quietly as I looked at Wolf Jacob. The look in his eyes made it clear that I shouldn't say anything, so, taking a shallow slow breath and letting it out I returned my eyes to Charlie.

"I can't really say," I said quietly, "but it's been handled. Jacob . . . dealt with it." Jacob grumbled beside me and I ran my fingers through his fur to sooth the anger that was likely still simmering because of Charlie's accusation that he was the one that put me in the hospital.

"Dealt with it?" Charlie asked with raised eyebrows and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, it's a wolf thing," I said and Charlie let out a heavy sigh before he ran his hand down his face and shook his head as he put his hands on his hips.

"A _wolf _thing?" he asked and I nodded my head. "Do you know about Bella then? Do you know what Jacob meant when he said that in order for Bella to get better that she had to change?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you _exactly _what that means, Charlie. Just that it was necessary," I said and he raised his eyebrows as he looked at me. I _hated_ not telling Charlie the whole truth, but I knew I couldn't. I just hoped that this new development didn't damage my relationship with him and that he still saw me in the same light. However, I doubted that he did and I doubted that anything after this moment was going to be the same between us, and I wanted to cry at just the thought of that. "She's . . . different now, better than ever really, but . . . you'll have to see her for yourself to really understand I guess."

"Where is she?" Charlie asked with a look of utter disappointment and, dare I even think it, betrayal on his face as he looked at me. Tears lined my eyes and I blinked several times to keep them at bay before I took yet another shallow slow breath, this time to try and push away my tears.

"She's home, Charlie," I said weakly, knowing he would know that I meant she was at the Cullens' place. With that, Charlie turned away from me and Wolf Jacob, walked by Seth, and up the embankment towards the house. I lowered my hand from Jacob's neck and looked at him. "You and Seth have to get to the Cullens' place before he does and tell them that he's on his way so they can be prepared and take precautions," I said, my voice shaking slightly with my unshed tears, and Wolf Jacob nudged my cheek with his cool wet nose. He knew something was wrong and he wanted to comfort me but I just shook my head as I turned away from him.

I gathered his clothes, taking the long piece of straw like string he kept in his jean's pocket out. I folded his clothes as tightly as I could before I tied them to his hind leg with shaking hands. I stood from my squatting position, my right hand going to rest on my aching bandaged stomach and my left grabbing Jacob's boots from the ground in the process, before I looked between them.

"Seth, you need to phase. They only way you two will beat him there is by running," I said and Seth hesitated as he looked at me before he nodded and disappeared into the trees to shed his clothes and phase. I looked at Wolf Jacob then, before I held out his boots to him to take into his mouth. He, however, just looked at me. "There's no time for you to comfort me right now, Jacob," I said quietly, "and besides, I'm fine." He whined softly before he gently licked my right cheek and at a tear that I hadn't realized had escaped. "You need to leave, Jacob," I said as I held out his boots to him once more, choosing to ignore the fact that a few tears that I had been trying to hold back fell. Knowing I wasn't going to back down, Wolf Jacob let out a huff before he gently took his boots from my hands with his teeth just as Wolf Seth appeared. Wolf Jacob looked at Wolf Seth and then at me one more time and I waved my hand at him. "Go," I whispered and with a promise to return in his eyes, Wolf Jacob turned away from me before he took off with Wolf Seth close behind.

* * *

Two hours later I was sitting on the couch, barely paying attention to old sitcom re-run I had turned on the TV, when I heard the cruiser pull up in front the house signifying that Charlie had returned home, and when Charlie entered the house alone I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably. In all honesty I was a little afraid to face Charlie without Jacob, and as I turned off the TV I looked towards the man in question as he slowly walked into the living room, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hi," I said as I sat the remote down on the coffee table and he gave me a tight lipped smile before he sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa beside me. I figured since he hadn't just walked away upon seeing me that it was a good sign, but I still wasn't sure. So, I decided to test the waters a bit. "How'd your visit with Bella go?"

"Fine," he said quietly as he looked at the blank screen of the TV for a few quiet beats before he turned his eyes to me. "Jacob's outside, but I asked him to give me some time alone with you so the two of us could talk," he said and I nodded my head.

"Charlie, I'm sorry," I said quietly as I went from nodding my head to shaking it. "I can only imagine what you're thinking and how angry and disappointed you must be in me for keeping this stuff from you, but I . . . I couldn't say anything." Tears once again lined my eyes as I spoke and as a few of them fell, I was surprised by Charlie reaching out and taking my right hand into his left before he gave it a firm squeeze.

"Aurora, I'm not angry or disappointed in you," he said, his dark eyes not leaving my face.

"But earlier-," I started, but Charlie interrupted me.

"Earlier, yeah, I was upset for you keeping this stuff from me, and while I don't understand anything that's going on, I'm just going to have to accept it and roll with the punches," Charlie said and I was rather surprised at his words. I'd thought for sure that he would give me the cold shoulder for a long while, but I was very relieved to see that that wasn't happening. "Bella said that if I want her to stick around, I have to understand that there is just some stuff that I don't need to know. So, I'm not going to ask any of the million questions I have because I can't lose her again." I nodded my head in understanding and he squeezed my hand once more. "I almost lost you too, Aurora, and I can't go through that again. Is Jacob really not the one that put you in the hospital?"

"He's not," I said honestly. "Jacob would never do anything like that to me, Charlie. Never. He'd cut off his own arm before he'd ever intentionally hurt me in any way."

"You know, the way he looks at you I can believe that and how he was when you were in the hospital . . . I don't think he even slept," he said after a few quiet beats, and I nodded my head as I gave him a tight lipped smile. "So, I'm going to assume the same 'need to know basis' agreement that I have with Bella applies to you too."

"Not really," I said quietly as I sniffed and wiped at my face with my left hand. "I mean, I can't tell you what I know about Bella, but after I talk to Jacob I'll know what I can and can't tell you."

"You have to talk to Jake?" he asked and I nodded.

"There's nothing _different_ about me, Charlie, and that will never change. Unlike Bella, I'm still the same as I always was, but the secrets that I have been keeping from you involve Jacob and . . . others. I have to ask him if it's okay to tell you because it's a tribe secret. I only know what I know because of special circumstances."

"Special circumstances?" Charlie asked with a frown. "What does that mean?" I opened my mouth to respond with 'I have to talk to Jacob before I can say,' but Jacob's voice cut me off.

"Her connection to me," Jacob said and both Charlie and I looked towards the foyer as Jacob walked into the living room and stood in front of us but on the other side of the coffee table.

"Because she's you're girlfriend?" Charlie asked and Jacob's eyes fluttered to me before he took a deep breath and looked Charlie square in the eye.

"Sort of," Jacob said. "It's because she's my imprint."

"Imprint?" Charlie asked and I looked at him just as he looked at me. "What the hell does that mean?" I wasn't sure what to say, but thankfully I didn't have to say anything because Jacob answered for me.

"It's a really long story," Jacob said drawing Charlie's attention to him and I followed Charlie's gaze, "but in short, it means she's my soul mate."

"Soul mate?" Charlie asked, his hand tightening on mine.

"It's another wolf thing," I said, finally finding my voice and Charlie looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "When we met, Jacob 'imprinted' on me meaning that the moment our eyes met he became bound to me for as long as we live. It probably sounds conceited but since that moment, I've been the most important person in Jacob's life and my happiness and safety pretty much takes precedent over everything else for him."

"It's not conceited, Rory. It's true," Jacob said quietly and I looked away from a dumbfounded looking Charlie and at Jacob.

"It's still weird to say," I said and he grinned as he looked at me. Charlie let out yet another heavy sigh and I looked at him.

"So, the two of you . . . I knew things were serious, but I . . . well, I guess certain things make a hell of a lot more sense now," he said, talking in small circles that only he really understood. However, I knew he was just mentally putting the pieces altogether. He'd had a very long day and I was tempted to let go of his hand and go into the kitchen to grab him a beer, but I stayed put as Charlie turned his eyes to Jacob. "Are there others like you, Jake? Are there others that I know that turn into _very large_ dogs?"

"They're wolves, Charlie," I said with a small smile and he looked at me before he shook his head.

"Dogs, wolves; they're both canines," he said, his dark eyes going back to Jacob while I continued to smile at him.

"Seth, Leah, Embry, and Quil are part of my pack," Jacob answered honestly, surprising the hell out of me as I turned my eyes to him with eyebrows raised. "Sam Uley, Paul Lahote, Jared Cameron, and a few others are part of Sam's pack."

"There are two packs?" Charlie asked with a frown.

"Until a week ago there wasn't," Jacob said, "but that's a story that can probably wait until Sue and Dad fill you in on the details of everything."

"Sue knows about this?" Charlie asked as he turned his eyes to me and I nodded.

"Don't hold it against her for not telling you, Charlie," I said as I squeezed his hand. "I'm sure once . . . everything started happening last week that she wanted to tell you, but like I said before, it was a tribe secret. Now that you know what you know, she can tell you." He nodded, understanding in his eyes, before he pulled his hand from mine, sighed heavily yet again, and ran his hand down his face.

"It's been a long day and I think I'm going to hit the sack early," Charlie said.

"Okay," I said quietly and Charlie sighed quietly as he looked at me before he kissed my forehead and carefully pulled my still injured body into a warm and gentle embrace. I hugged him back and turned my face into his shoulder. "I love you, Charlie," I said loud enough so that I knew he could hear me, feeling that the words needed to be said at that moment. His arms tightened a bit around me before he kissed the side of my head that time.

"I love you too, Aurora," he said softly before he slowly let me go and gave me a lopsided smile as he stood from the couch and settled his eyes on Jacob. Jacob shifted his feet and looked at Charlie head on, his hands at his sides as he seemed to wait for something. However, Charlie just reached out and patted Jacob's upper right arm solidly. "Watch over our girl," he said and I watched as Jacob nodded his head curtly and kept his expression serious as he looked at Charlie.

"Always," he said and Charlie nodded before he walked out of the living room and left Jacob and I on our own. Jacob sighed heavily before he walked around the coffee table and sank down into the very spot Charlie had just vacated. He took my right hand into his left before he laced our fingers together and looked at me. "That went a hell of a lot better than I thought it was going to," he said and I smiled at him as I shook my head before I rested my head on his warm shoulder as Jacob eased the two of us back and let go of my hand to wrap his arms around my shoulders as he gently pulled me closer into his side.

"Since Charlie's still alive I'm taking that as I sign that Bella has _really_ good control," I said as I raised my left hand to rest on his chest. He was without his jacket at the moment and only wearing his khakis and long sleeved shirt and I was happy for that since the warmth of his body easily eased my aching muscles and it allowed me to be even closer to him.

"Yeah," he said with another soft sigh before he absently ran his left hand up and down my upper left arm.

"I'm guessing that Edward and the others weren't exactly thrilled with what you did," I said, a small smile coming to my lips as I ran my fingers over his chest.

"Not really," he said with a scoff, "but I think they understand why I did what I did." I nodded my head as a comfortable silence settled between us before Jacob raised his right hand to my left hand on his chest and caught my hand in his. The action drew my eyes up to his face out of curiosity and his expression was serious as he looked at me. "You know that I didn't just do this for Seth, right?" he asked and I nodded my head once more.

"I know," I said. "You did it for Charlie too."

"And you," he said and I frowned.

"Me?" I asked and he nodded.

"As much as I hate it, you're close to the Cullens; and not just because of Bella," he said as his thumb ran over the palm of my hand and making goose bumps race up my arm at the soft touch. "I know it would hurt you if they were to leave right now. Plus, you almost died trying to save Renesmee and you haven't even met her yet."

"Since Bella seems to have such good control maybe that could be sooner rather than later, huh?" I asked and he took a deep breath as his hand tightened on mine.

"Yeah, well, since you're not going to school tomorrow, she asked that I bring you by after Charlie goes to work," he said tightly. "The rest of the Cullens want to see you too. Plus, Carlisle wants to check you over."

"Or you want him to check me over to make sure that the doctors didn't release me too soon," I said rather than asked with a smile tugging on my lips and he rolled his eyes. "Admit it, Jacob, after everything you trust him more now than you did before." Jacob looked at me for several long and quiet beats. I didn't look away from him, I just watched as a what seemed like a million different emotions flashed in his eyes before he sighed quietly.

"I trust him, Rory, but that's only because he saved your life," he said, adding the last bit very quickly and to justify his newfound respect and feelings for the vampire doctor. I smiled fully at him, which only made Jacob roll his eyes again before he leaned forward and kissed me chastely. "Don't get smug," he said and I rolled my eyes that time before I chuckled quietly and rested my head on his shoulder/chest and got comfortable.

"So, what time are we going to head over there tomorrow?" I asked and he grumbled something under his breath that I didn't catch, but I had a feeling that I probably didn't want to know what it was he said.

"We'll go after breakfast," he said reluctantly and I smiled to myself as Jacob's left hand lowered from my arm and rested on my hip while his right remained encased around mine that was still on his chest. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes as silence settled between us once again. "Tired, Rory?" he asked and I hummed slightly in agreement. The pain medication I'd taken while Charlie and Jacob had been gone and the emotional stress of that late afternoon/early evening had caught up with me. "Let's get you up to bed," Jacob said quietly before he let me go, stood, and easily picked me up. I opened my eyes and smiled at him before I kissed his chin as he walked towards the stairs.

"Thanks," I said quietly, and he gave me a crooked grin as he walked up the stairs, carefully so he wouldn't jostle me too much. Thankfully, I was already dressed in sweats and a baggy t-shirt, so, there was no need to change. Jacob settled me down on one side of my bed before he turned down the other side for me to crawl under the covers. "You're staying, right?" I asked as I looked up at him and he pulled my sheet and comforter over my shoulders and he smiled down at me.

"Of course," he said before he raised his hand and brushed a few loose strands of my hair from my face. "I've just got to run outside and connect with the others to check in. I won't be gone long, I promise."

"Good," I said as I snuggled into my pillow. "Hurry though because my bed's far too cold without you in it." He chuckled before he shook his head and kissed my forehead. Sadly, I was asleep before I think he even was out of the room.

* * *

I was pretty sure that Jacob was going to break the steering wheel of my car because he had such a tight grip on it as he drove to the Cullens' place the next morning. His bike was still parked in my driveway given my current condition didn't allow me to ride his bike with him, much to both of our disappointment since I now loved riding with him on his motorcycle. I smiled slightly to myself as I shook my head and turned my eyes from my scowling boyfriend and looked out the window at the passing trees.

Breakfast had been an interesting affair that morning since Jacob hadn't gone home last night. That wouldn't have been so unusual if he would have snuck out like he normally did, but instead he walked down the stairs with me that morning and into the kitchen where Charlie was sitting sipping on coffee and reading the morning paper. Charlie hadn't looked surprised to see Jacob there, and when I noticed the look on his face I had had a feeling that seeing Jacob with me made Charlie put a few more things together.

That feeling had only been confirmed when Charlie had asked Jacob how long had he'd been sneaking into the house after we had fixed bowls of cereal and toast for breakfast. Jacob's answer of 'a while' hadn't gone over all that well with Charlie, but he just nodded his head and pursed his lips. He'd left for the station shortly after that, kissing my head and telling me to take it easy and call if anything happened or if I needed anything. I'd nodded, told him to have a good day, and that I'd seen him later that night.

Jacob had helped me get ready for the day after the two of us had finished our meager breakfast. However, I most certainly wasn't going to complain about what I ate because that was the first time I'd been able to eat actual food since I'd woken up in the hospital. Sadly, I couldn't shower or take a bath since I couldn't get my staples wet, which meant I had had to give myself a sponge bath. Jacob had been more than willing to help me with that. However, I had politely declined his offer to help me with that, but he did help me wash my hair over the side of the tub and I made a mental note to have him do that again.

It had felt so good when he'd massaged my scalp and worked the shampoo and then the conditioner in my long hair. Who knew that such a thing could be so intimate because I sure as hell didn't. When he had finished washing my hair, I had been all hot and bothered, which I knew that he knew because of his super sensitive senses. However, he had said nothing about it but he didn't have to. The grin that had been on his face as he helped me dry my hair had said enough, and at that moment I had mentally cursed my stitches because it was going to be at least two weeks before they came out and it was going to be at least that long before Jacob and I would be able to do anything more than kiss.

"What are you thinking about?" Jacob asked and I tore my eyes away from the window, shifted slightly in my seat, and looked at him; but he was watching the road.

"Nothing; why?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Because your heart is racing and skipping away in your chest," he said, "and I know it's not because you're nervous about seeing the Cullens or anything." I blushed as Jacob glanced at me and the grin on his face was just like a replay of this morning in the bathroom while he towel dried my hair. "Not even a full twenty-four hours out of the hospital and your mind is already going to the gutter, Rory," he said and my blush deepened as I reached over and lightly smacked his arm so I wouldn't hurt my hand. He laughed fully, and while I wasn't happy to be the source of his entertainment it was nice to hear his laugh and see him smile when he'd been scowling just a minute before.

"You know, you can't really blame me, Jacob," I said, deciding to turn the tables on him while he still chuckled to himself. However, he made a choking sound as his laughter abruptly came to an end as my left hand settled on his thigh. I rubbed my hand and back and forth, going from his inner to outer thigh, which caused his muscle to tense rather tightly under my touch. I inched my hand a little closer to his hip and I swear he stopped breathing as his grip tightened on the steering wheel once again, but this time for a completely different reason. "I love you, and it's only natural to want to express that love in a _physical_ way. It's just too bad it's going to be a while before we can do that." Jacob took a shuddering breath before he let go of the steering wheel with his right hand and took my hand off his leg and laced his fingers with mine.

"You play dirty, babe," he said as he glanced at me once more and I smirked in return as he turned my car into the Cullens' driveway. "Now I'm going to go in there thinking all sorts of things I shouldn't around the mind reader." I laughed lightly, which made Jacob smile as he glanced at me yet again, and I shook my head.

"It's not like Edward hasn't heard it all before," I said. "He's told me before that you're not very good at keeping your thoughts PG even during the most innocent moments."

"Yeah, well he needs to stay out of my head," Jacob grumbled as he stopped my car in front of the Cullen's garage and I smiled.

"He's also said you think _loud_, Jacob. You're kind of hard to ignore," I said and he sighed as he let go of my hand, put the car in park, and turned off the engine.

"I'll work on that," he said dryly and I smiled once more as I unbuckled my seatbelt. Before the strap was even completely off my body, my door was opened and I was carefully swooped up into strong and cold arms bridal style. I let out a small shriek before I laughed at Emmett's smiling face and rested my left hand on my bandage covered stomach before I wrapped my right arm around his broad left shoulder.

"Hi Emmett," I said, still chuckling and he laughed, his now golden eyes shining as he looked at me.

"How you feeling, wolf girl?" he asked.

"Good," I assured him. "Much better than before."

"She can walk you know," Jacob growled out and both Emmett and I looked at him as he walked around the front of my car and glared at Emmett.

"He's right," I said as I looked up at Emmett, who rolled his eyes before he turned and started carrying me towards the house. I heard Jacob growl, but he didn't say anything as he followed after Emmett and me. "Is there a reason why you're antagonizing my boyfriend?" I asked Emmett in a soft whisper even though I had a feeling Jacob could still hear me.

"He banned Rose, Alice, and I from visiting you at the hospital when we heard you were awake," Emmett said, grin back in place as he opened the front door of the house even though I was still securely in his arms. "I just want to give him a little hell," he said as he walked inside and in a rush of air I suddenly found myself in the Cullens' living room.

"Whoa, head rush," I said quietly as my head spun slightly from Emmett's fast movement.

"Emmett do be careful with her," came Carlisle's soothing voice and after blinking a few times to clear my vision I turned my head to see him approach us with a concerned look on his face, but a warm smile on his lips. Jacob came up the stairs and into the room just as Emmett settled me back on my feet and I closed the distance between Carlisle and me before I promptly hugged him as tightly as I could manage. For a second Carlisle stiffened, but after a beat Carlisle wrapped his arms around me and hugged me gently.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I said as I pulled back from him and met his golden eyes with a smile on my lips. He shook his head as he raised his right hand to the side of my face as his smile grew.

"There's no need to thank me, Aurora," he said softly. "I'm just glad that things worked out in the end." He lowered his hand and I nodded my head.

"We're so glad you're okay," Esme said before she moved in and I smiled brightly at her as she wrapped me up in her usual motherly embrace.

"Me too," I said truly as she pulled away and she smiled at me before she settled next to Carlisle while I looked around the room. Alice remained at Jasper's side, but both of them gave me bright smiles as I waved at them as I smiled back at them. Seth was there, lounging on the couch and a goofy smile on his face as he looked at me. I laughed quietly as I shook my head before my eyes landed on Rosalie as she stood from the couch and where she had been sitting beside Seth, and in her arms, I assumed, was Renesmee.

"I've missed you around here, Aurora," Rosalie said with a smile on her lips as she looked at me, and I smiled back at her. The little girl in Rosalie's arms turned her head so she was looking at me then and my eyes moved from my friend to the baby.

I couldn't help but gasp quietly as Renesmee's big brown eyes locked with mine, and I had to admit that Seth really wasn't being biased when he talked about Renesmee. She was the prettiest baby I had ever seen; granted that would likely change when I had had my own baby or babies; but for now she would hold the title of the prettiest baby for me. She was pale with the same coppery brown hair on top of her head that Edward had, and the more I looked at her the more I realized that she was the perfect combination of Bella and Edward. She smiled at me then as she looked at me revealing tiny teeth that a baby that was not even a full week old should have. In fact, she looked more like an eight or nine month old baby rather than the four or five days old she was. She giggled and I blinked in surprise before I smiled back at her and moved closer to Rosalie and Renesmee.

"Hello Renesmee," I said softly before she reached out for me with her right hand, gurgling and giggling in that little baby way that was beyond adorable. I was close enough for her to touch me as she reached out and when her hand settled on my cheek I was no longer looking at Renesmee. It was hazy and I hadn't a clue what I was seeing but I could hear my muffled voice telling Edward that he should play the piano for the baby because classical music helped with brain development before I suddenly saw myself standing with Bella looking like she had the night she gave birth. I had a teary eyed smile on my face as I looked back at myself and laughed quietly and looked at Bella before I told her she had a daughter. As suddenly as it appeared the vision was gone and Renesmee lowered her hand from my face. I blinked rapidly as I looked at the little girl who smiled at me once more.

"What was that?" I asked quietly and to my surprise it was Edward that answered. He hadn't been in the room when I'd arrived and he must have come in while I'd been occupied with the baby.

"Renesmee is gifted," Edward said and I turned my head towards the sound of his voice and saw him standing with a very different looking Bella. Like the Cullens, Bella had taken on an inhuman beauty and while she'd been very pretty before she was absolutely stunning now. However, her red eyes were rather freaky. Thankfully, over time I knew that that would change and her eyes would turn gold like the others so long as she kept to a 'vegetarian' diet, which I knew she would. "She showed you the first memories she has of you," Edward said, drawing my thoughts away from Bella's appearance and I turned my body so I was facing them completely and smiled.

"Well, you don't do anything half-ass do you, Bella?" I asked. "Not only do you make one of the prettiest babies I have ever seen, you go and make one that's even more special than being just half-vampire." Bella gave me one of her crooked smiles and I was glad to see that not everything about Bella was different. She took a step closer to me, but before her foot was even fully planted Jacob was behind me and his hot hands settled on hips. I was turned around and pulled into Jacob's solid chest before he turned our bodies slightly away from Bella and held me protectively. However, I could still see my cousin and I saw her scowl as she looked at Jacob.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Jake," Bella said as she shook her head.

"It's nothing against you, Bella, I'd just rather be safe than sorry right now," he said and I saw her shoulders deflate a bit before she gave him a curt nod.

"Fine," she said tightly before she turned her red eyes to me. "I wanted to thank you, Aurora, for not only taking care of me, helping me like you did, and doing what you did to try and help; but for taking care of Charlie too. I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."

"He's the dad I've never had, Bella," I said as I shook my head from where I was still tucked into Jacob. "It wasn't really all that hard because I love him as much as you do." She gave me another crooked smile as she looked at me and I easily smiled back at her.

"Jacob, could I talk to Aurora for a few minutes?" Edward asked. Jacob's body tensed for a few seconds before he slowly unwrapped his arms from around me and settled his hands on my hips.

"Five minutes," he said, his voice tight and unsure, and I rolled my eyes as I shook my head.

"Honestly, Jacob, he's not going to attack me," I said and he looked down at me. "Relax, okay, I'm not going anywhere." I rose up on my toes slightly and kissed his chin. He took a slow breath and nodded before his hands left my hips as he reluctantly let me go. "I'll be back." He nodded and I walked over to Edward before he led me upstairs. I wasn't sure where we were going or what we were doing, but the serious look on Edward's face told me that he wanted to talk about something and I couldn't help but be curious about what it could possibly be.


	35. Chapter 35

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that this chapter is so late. After I wrote the first section I had a really hard time with the rest of it. I knew what I wanted to write, but it just wasn't coming out right. I'm still not happy with how it came out, but I really hope you all like it. I'm sorry I didn't respond to everyone's reviews, but I promise to respond if you leave a signed review for this chapter. I was just so frustrated with writing this chapter that I didn't get around to responding. However, thank you all so much for your reviews because they are what keeps me writing and wanting to write well for you guys; which is probably why I get a little hard on myself when I'm not happy with something. Gah! I'll shut up now, and I'm sorry for the rambling. I hope you like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

I followed Edward into what I knew was his old bedroom, minus the bed of course since vampires didn't sleep. I wasn't sure what he wanted to talk to me about, but I wasn't really all that concerned. I highly doubted it was anything bad, and the second the two of us were in the room I was right because he turned around and I quickly found myself wrapped up in Edward's cold arms. I'd been surprised by his sudden movement and the unexpected embrace, but after barely a second I returned Edward's embrace and wrapped my arms around him as I hugged him back.

Edward turned his face into my loose hair and pressed a soft kiss against the side of my head. I smiled slightly as I tightened my arms around him and I knew then why Edward wanted to talk to me in private. If he would have done this in front of Jacob, my boyfriend would have likely blown a gasket as he phased in the middle of the Cullens' living room and done quite a bit of damage in his wake. I really didn't want any of the Cullens hurt, or any of Esme's really nice things torn to shreds. Edward chuckled, probably at my thoughts, as he slowly brought our embrace to an end, but he gently wrapped his hands around my upper arms and kept me close as he looked at me.

"You nearly died," Edward said softly. "At that moment I had believed that Bella was dead, that I'd been too late, and then to watch you . . . I'd thought that we had lost you as well."

"But I didn't die, Edward. I'm alive and well right now thanks to Carlisle," I said quickly as I met Edward's gaze, but he just shook his head.

"Of that I am well aware, Aurora, but I just wanted you to know that Jacob is not the only one that would have been devastated if that would have happened."

"I know," I said knowing that Edward was right. I had more people in my life now that cared about me on various levels than I ever thought I would have ever had before. It was something that I was still getting used to, but something that I was truly grateful for.

"Over these last few months you've become the third sister that I didn't really need nor want," he threw in with a small smile and I laughed softly as I shook my head.

"And like I told you before, you're the annoying and _seriously _older brother that I never knew I wanted," I said and his smile grew.

"You didn't put it like that the last time," he said and I shrugged my shoulders as I continued to smile at him. His smile turned almost sad as he looked at me before he took a deep and truly unneeded breath. "You know, that night Jasper exhibited the most control I have ever seen him maintain in the decades that I have known him. When all was said and done and Carlisle and Jacob had left to take you to the hospital, even he was surprised by it," Edward said as he let go of my arms and I frowned as I looked up at him. However, the meaning behind Edward's words quickly sank in and I gasped quietly. They hadn't fed for weeks and all of them had been beyond thirsty that night. It was a wonder that they had been able to focus that night with the smell of my blood in the air.

"The three of you were pretty much starving and there I was spouting blood like there was no tomorrow," I said quietly. Edward winced at my choice of words, but nodded his head as he looked down at me. "That could not have been easy to ignore or endure."

"We managed," he said slowly.

"How were the three of you able to concentrate?" I asked and Edward gave me a small sad smile.

"It wasn't easy," he admitted. "Truthfully, after what happened with Bella I knew I would be okay and Alice was surprisingly fine; however, I had expected Jasper to go mad with bloodlust after you were hurt, but he didn't. I'd never seen him more focused before in all our years together. He was intent on protecting our family and finding a way to help you."

"I'm sorry to put the three of you in that situation," I said honestly, but Edward frowned and shook his head.

"You have no reason to feel bad, Aurora, and nothing to apologize for," he said. "You didn't think Sam would actually hurt you, and I can honestly say that I have no idea why Sam did what he did. It makes no sense, especially given the pack law regarding imprints."

"I know," I said as I shook my head, grateful for Edward changing the subject slightly because I didn't like thinking that I had, unintentionally anyway, caused Alice, Jasper, and Edward pain in any way. "Embry and Quil didn't know either and they had a better look into his head than you did. We'll probably never know what set him off, but that's okay."

"Okay?" Edward asked with a surprised look on his face as he raised his eyebrows and I nodded.

"I'm determined to forgive and forget," I said. "If the packs are going to co-exist and work together, and if I ever want to see my friends again, I have to."

"I seriously doubt that Jacob shares that opinion," he said and I laughed lightly and shook my head.

"No, not by a long shot," I said, "but he'll get there someday. I doubt it will be anytime soon, but . . . he will." My stomach ached a bit and I rubbed absently and I saw Edward's eyes flickered to my hand.

"Do they still hurt?" he asked concerned and I left my right hand on my stomach while I shrugged my left shoulder.

"A little, but nothing that I really can't handle," I said. "Carlisle prescribed some pain medication, but I don't take a full dose. It makes me feel too loopy and I can't really concentrate." He nodded slightly and I took a shallow breath as I lowered my hand back to my side. Edward smirked then and shook his head before he chuckled which made me raise an eyebrow, but Edward's smile only grew as he looked at me.

"In about a minute, your boyfriend is going to search you out," he said, smile still in place, and I smiled back before I rolled my eyes.

"He's been a pain in my backside since I woke up," I said, jokingly of course, and Edward's smile faltered before it quickly recovered and he shook his head.

"He's simply more protective of you and even more in love with you than he was before. Truthfully, I would have thought the latter was impossible but it's not and you know I'm not lying," he said and for some reason I blushed at Edward's words, which made Edward chuckle quietly.

"You done?" came Jacob's voice from behind me and I turned around and saw him standing at the open door of Edward's room. His broad shouldered body pretty much took up the entire doorframe, and I couldn't help but smile at him when I noticed the tenseness of his shoulders and the fact that his hands were clenched at his sides. I knew then that it was very likely that he had been pacing and pretty much counting the seconds since I had gone off with Edward.

"Yes, Jacob, we're done," I said before I walked over to him.

"Esme made lunch for us and Seth. You need to eat," he said when I reached him and he was quick to take my right hand into his left while I nodded. I looked back at Edward and smiled at him only to have Jacob tug on my hand before he led me back downstairs, leaving a chuckling Edward behind.

* * *

The next week went by relatively smoothly. However, when I went back to school on Monday I was once again a fish in the fishbowl. A few people came up and told me that they were happy I was okay or surprised to see me back so soon. On Wednesday two boys, a couple of freshman I think, actually came up to me and asked to see where the bear had scratched me. However, before I could tell them to pound sand Derek was there and with a protective arm around me told them to get lost.

Cora, Derek, Owen, and Lynn had been my saviors while at school during the week and I was once again thankful for having friends that knew nothing of vampires and shape shifters. However, I felt terrible for lying to them about everything that had happened but I couldn't tell them the truth. Both Cora and Derek had helped me get caught up with the work I missed and all four of them had let me copy their notes from the classes we shared. Thankfully, it was only the start of the school year and I really hadn't missed all that much and it didn't take me long at all to get caught up.

It was Friday and I had gotten excused from my last two periods of class thanks to my doctor's appointment. I was going to the doctor to get the staples removed from my stomach and I was really looking forward to it. The staples no longer ached, but they itched beyond belief and I was thankful to be getting them out that afternoon. When I got outside, Jacob was waiting in the parking lot for me and I smiled when I saw him standing beside my car, leaning back against the passenger side of the vehicle with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He easily smiled back at me and I started to make my way over to him.

He pushed himself off the side of my car and when I was within reaching distance his warm and gentle hands grasped me by my upper waist and pulled me into him. Expecting a hug and I happily wrapped my arms around his t-shirt clad torso, but instead of a simple embrace Jacob leaned his head to mine and caught my lips in a searing kiss that had my toes curling in the brown leather boots I was wearing. My right hand left his back and I raised it to rest on his left cheek as I kissed him back and not too much longer after that, Jacob slowly brought his mind numbing kiss to an end.

"Jeez," I breathed as I opened my eyes and met Jacob's dark gaze only to see him smirk as he looked at me. I smiled back at him as I felt my cheeks warm and I moved my hand from his face to rest on his chest. "With a kiss like that you'd think we hadn't seen each other for weeks rather than the four hours it's really been since you dropped me off this morning," I said, earning a small chuckle from my boyfriend before he kissed me chastely once more.

"It felt like it had been a while," he said as he pulled back and I rolled my eyes as I laughed quietly and shook my head. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said as he let me go and took my bag from my shoulder before he tossed it into the backseat of my car and opened the passenger door for me. I climbed inside before Jacob closed the door and made his way around the front of my car before he slid into the driver's seat and started up the car.

Even though I was fully capable of driving myself back and forth to school and getting around more than fine on my own, Jacob wasn't having any of it. He was adamant about taking me to school in the morning and picking me up from school in the afternoon. Charlie, oddly enough, found it amusing. He had even chuckled pretty much the whole time during the 'debate' that Jacob and I had had on Sunday night during dinner about it all. Obviously, Jacob had 'won' but that was only because I had gotten tired of arguing with him about it and knew that no matter what I said he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted.

As Jacob drove down the two lane road to the hospital, we sat in a comfortable silence and I sighed softly to myself as I looked out my window and at the passing scenery. I hadn't slept all that well the last couple of nights because Jacob had been spending the night at home with Billy at my insistence because I told him he needed to spend some time with his dad. Tomorrow, I would be going to La Push to spend the day with Jacob and Billy; however, I also wanted to visit Emily, Kim, and the others. I didn't think Jacob would be up for that, but I missed my friends and if I had to, I'd go on my own even though I wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of being around Sam without Jacob close by.

"You're quiet," Jacob said, dragging me out of my thoughts, and I turned my head to look at him just as he glanced at me before he returned his eyes to the road ahead. "Did something happen today?"

"No," I said. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" he asked.

"Seeing Billy tomorrow," I said, omitting my desire to see the others right then. "It seems like it's been forever since I saw him, and I've actually missed him."

"I'm sure he's missed you too, and I know for sure that he's missed your cooking," Jacob said with a light chuckle and I smiled at him.

"What's wrong with Sue's cooking?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Not a thing, but I'm pretty sure Dad could eat that enchilada dish you make every day if he could," he said. "He was even talking about it last night."

"Well, when we're on our way to your place tomorrow we can stop at the store and I'll pick up the stuff I need to make it," I said, smiling at him when he looked at me, which only made him grin before he reached out and took my left hand into his right. He brought our joined hands to rest on his right thigh, his thumb rubbing along my hand before he began playing with my bracelet around my wrist as he drove. We settled into a comfortable silence as Jacob drove my car to the hospital. It wasn't much longer after that when Jacob turned into the hospital parking lot and parked the car in the small lot reserved for visitors to the clinic that was part of the larger hospital that served the area.

"Ready?" he asked and I nodded.

"Beyond ready. These things are starting to itch a bit and I'm in desperate need of a decent hot bath or shower," I said before the two of us climbed out of the car and I looked over the hood of my car at Jacob with a smile. "I really think I'm starting to smell a bit," I added as I started walking around the front of the car. Jacob laughed fully, his deep rolling laugh actually echoing off the building and sending goose bumps racing up my sweater covered arms for some reason.

"Rory, you're not starting to smell," he said before he took my hand and the two of us started walking towards the clinic.

"And if I could trust anyone about that, it would be you right?" I asked as we neared the doors and Jacob smiled at me.

"You know it," he said as he kissed my left temple and opened the door for me. I laughed under my breath with Jacob following behind me, our hands still intertwined. Jacob let go of my hand when I reached the counter and after checking in with the receptionist at the front desk Jacob and I moved off to the waiting area. I couldn't help but snicker as Jacob lowered his large frame into the chair beside me and was practically kissing his knees because the chairs sat rather low. I wasn't any better since I was pretty much all legs, but Jacob was a lot taller than me and his plight was more obvious than mine. "Shut up," he grumbled as he shifted in his seat.

"I didn't say anything," I said innocently and Jacob grunted, which made me laugh before I tucked my hair behind my ears and picked up some random magazine from the table that rested on my right as I crossed my ankles since crossing my legs actually pulled a bit on my stitches. After a few minutes of paging through the insane number of adds in the first few pages of the magazine I put it down since I didn't really feel like reading. I'd just picked it up for something to do while I waited for my name to be called. Now that my hands were free, Jacob once again took my left hand into his and rested our forearms on the joined arms of our chairs. I glanced at him with a small smile before I looked away from him and across the room to the fish tank that rested on the other side of the small waiting area from where Jacob and I sat.

In addition to wanting to visit Emily and see the others, there was something else that I wanted to talk to Jacob about. Something that I had yet to even talk to Charlie about, but I knew it was better for me to talk to Jacob about everything before I took that step. I didn't need Charlie to mention anything to Jacob about it if I hadn't discussed it with him. During the third week of October, I had two days off of school (a Thursday and Friday) for teachers' conferences or something and those two days just happened to fall around the day that I was quietly dreading; the one year mark of my mother's death.

I'd mentioned wanting to fly down to San Diego and go to the cemetery where my mom was buried to Gina and Melody when I talked to them earlier in the week, and they were more than supportive. Melody had already volunteered the guest room in her house, telling me that she was going to talk to her parents and let them know what I was thinking about doing. I knew that when I talked to Jacob about it, it was very likely that he would end up going with me. I sincerely doubted that he would let me go on my own, and in all honesty I wouldn't mind Jacob going with me.

"Aurora Bishop?" a cheery voice asked, breaking me from my thoughts and I looked towards the nurse in the soft green scrubs with a smile before I let go of Jacob's hand, stood, and turned my eyes to Jacob.

"I won't be long," I said and he hesitated for a second.

"You sure you don't want me in there with you?" he asked and I smiled softly as I shook my head.

"I'll be fine," I assured him and he nodded before he sighed heavily. I looked away from him and walked over to the nurse only to follow her into the back where I would finally be free of the now annoying stitches.

* * *

An hour later, Jacob and I walked through the front door of my house. Charlie wasn't home yet, but all it took was one look at Jacob as he closed the front door before he was chuckling at me. "Go on and take a shower," he said. "I'll find something on TV to watch." I smiled at him before I rose up on my toes and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks," I whispered before I jogged up the stairs, happy that the action no longer caused uncomfortable pulling on my stomach. My rib still ached but the doctor told me that it was healing nicely and by the times the scabs on my stomach healed fully my rib would be healed as well. I heard the TV turn on as I walked into my room where I grabbed fresh under clothes, a pair of heather gray sweatpants, and one of Jacob's black t-shirts from his drawer in my dresser. I scampered into the bathroom and closed the door behind me after I turned on the light. I sat my stuff down on the counter and took a deep breath as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

I hadn't looked at my stomach once the doctor finished pulling all the stitches out of my stomach because I hadn't wanted to look at it at that moment. The first thing Jacob had asked me when I walked back out into the waiting room was if I was okay, and I had plastered on a smile and nodded my head before the two of us had left. However, I really wasn't okay and the façade I had kept going since leaving the clinic was crumbling away as I stood alone in the bathroom and stared at my reflection. The doctor had recommended various scar reducing creams for me to try once the scabs went away, but he had said given the severity of my wounds it was likely that the creams wouldn't do much good.

I knew he was just being honest with me, but he could have fibbed just a bit to make me feel a little better. If he had, I wouldn't be as scared as I was to actually look at them but I knew I couldn't ignore them forever. I took a deep breath before my hands moved to the hem of my sweater and the tank top I wore underneath it. I pulled the two items of clothing from my body at once, my hair falling down my back once my head was free of them and I dropped them to the floor. My eyes left the reflection of my face and fluttered down to the reflection of my stomach. I frowned as I looked at my stomach before I let out a heavy sigh as I felt my heart sink at the sight that met my eyes.

They looked much worse than I was expecting and I raised my right hand to rest on my lower abdomen and at the waistband of my jeans. They were a bit puffy, swollen from the stitches being removed and the cleaning the doctor had given them, and they were red and angry looking. I could tell where Carlisle had made his careful incision during the surgery because the straight line left behind from it was easily distinguishable against the jagged and rough lines that Sam had caused. I took a shaky breath as my heart started to race and I could feel tears prickle the corners of my eyes as I stared at my stomach.

I shouldn't be as upset as I was because I had mentally prepared myself for this moment and my talks with Jacob about them had put me at ease about it all, but now that I was seeing what was left behind it was different. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't heard the bathroom door open or even realized that Jacob had joined me in the bathroom until I felt his hot hands on my bare waist above my jeans. My eyes lifted up and looked at Jacob's reflection in the mirror above my head.

"I heard your heart start to race," he said, explaining his reason for joining me in the bathroom, before his eyes settled on my stomach in the mirror. "They look like they hurt," he said softly as his eyes moved back to mine.

"They're tender," I said, my voice trembling slightly, "but they don't hurt." He turned me around then and his hands lifted from my waist to cup my face in both of his hands. "They look worse than I thought they would," I said quietly, voicing my thoughts as I looked up at him and put my hands on his jean clad hips.

"They're not bad, Rory," he whispered as his dark eyes scanned my face before he lowered his hands to my upper arms and gently ran his thumbs over my skin. "We're not having this conversation again. You're still perfect to me, Aurora, and you even told me the other day that that was all that mattered."

"It is," I said as goose bumps raced across my exposed skin and I fought against a small shiver.

"Then you have nothing to worry about and nothing to be ashamed of because they don't bother me."

"I want to believe you, Jacob, but how can they n-," I started but didn't get to finish because he pulled me close and interrupted my sentence by pressing his mouth to mine.

Jacob's hands moved to my back and I gasped into the kiss as his warm fingers ghosted over my skin as we kissed and mine gripped the sides of his t-shirt in my hands before I started to push the soft cotton fabric up. His hands left me and our kiss broke long enough for us to free him of his shirt before his lips took hold of mine once more and his right hand tangled in my hair while his left gripped my right hip as he pulled my body flush to his.

My arms wrapped around his shoulders as I pressed my chest against his, his body heat completely encompassing me and making every nerve ending in my body stand at attention. Just like every other time I had skin on skin contact with Jacob like this I felt like I was on fire and my newly acquired insecurities were, for the moment anyway, forgotten. Obviously, that had been Jacob's plan and it was a wonderful plan that was working perfectly; especially when I was starting to get poked in the hip by a certain part of Jacob's anatomy that had come to life. Slowly Jacob ended our kiss, the both of us breathing heavily as we opened our eyes and looked at each other.

"Is that enough for you to believe me, baby?" he asked, his voice husky as he massaged my scalp with his right hand while his left hand pressed against my lower back. I cleared my throat awkwardly and licked my lips as my hands gripped his shoulders.

"Close, but you might have to convince me a little more later," I said earning a grin from Jacob before he kissed me chastely.

"Gladly," he whispered and I smiled at him as he moved in to kiss me again only to feel his entire body tense under my touch before he sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Charlie's home early tonight," he said. "I can hear the cruiser coming up the road."

"How do you know it's the cruiser?" I asked with a small frown as he reluctantly let go of me and picked up his t-shirt from the floor.

"The right brake squeaks a little bit," he said with a crooked grin and I scoffed a quiet laugh. "I need to get back downstairs before he gets inside. He may be cool with us being together as much as we are and me spending the night occasionally, but I don't think finding us like this will fly." I nodded my head as I smiled at him and he kissed me chastely before he pulled on his t-shirt. "I love you, Aurora, and don't ever doubt that."

"I won't," I promised as I held his dark gaze, "and I love you too. Always." He smiled at me before he kissed me once again and then left me alone to shower.

* * *

The next morning as I sat at the kitchen table with Charlie eating breakfast I was anxious. If Charlie noticed, he didn't say anything as he ate the fried eggs, bacon, and toast I had made for the two of us that morning. I didn't sleep well last night because after Jacob left around midnight I'd spent a lot of time thinking over how I was going to bring up going to Sam and Emily's today and mention wanting to go down to San Diego next month. It was probably better to not mention them both in the same breath, but I wanted to see Emily today and I needed to book my flight soon if I wanted to get the ticket for a decent price.

"Okay," Charlie said as he put his coffee mug down on the table after he took a sip of the black liquid and I looked at him, "what's going on?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused slightly since we'd been in a relatively comfortable silence as I was lost in my own little world.

"You usually talk my ear off in the morning, Aurora, and outside of when you were unconscious in the hospital I have never heard you so quiet," Charlie said, concern settling into his dark eyes. "What's going on?" I sighed softly as I sat back in my chair before I ran my right hand through my hair. I couldn't tell Charlie _everything_ but since I was going to talk to Jacob about it today, I could tell him about wanting to go down to San Diego next month.

"I need to talk to Jacob about something and I'm nervous to bring it up," I said honestly as I stared at my barely touched breakfast and I heard Charlie awkwardly clear his throat before he coughed quietly. I returned my eyes to his face and saw that his cheeks were red and his eyes were wide. "You okay?" I asked with a frown as his cough quieted and he wiped his mouth.

"Aurora . . . you're not . . . pregnant are you?" he asked quietly and his voice rough. My eyes widened while my face flushed and I shook my head so fast that I actually got a little dizzy.

"God no!" I said loudly as I looked at him and I saw his shoulders visibly relax as he let out a heavy relieved sigh before he lowered his head for a second and then looked back at me. I wanted to say that if I was the doctors would have mentioned it while I was in the hospital, but that would open a whole new can of worms and line of questioning that would have very uncomfortable for both Charlie and me. "I'm not pregnant, Charlie, I swear," I said as I shook my head slightly, cheeks still red.

"Good," Charlie said roughly before he took another sip of his coffee after he cleared his throat.

"I . . . next month it will be one year since my mom died," I said and as Charlie put his cup back down on the table his eyes softened. "I wanted to talk to Jacob about it before I mentioned it to you, but I know I'll need your permission before I do anything."

"You want to fly down for a few days," he said and I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said. "It's during the weekend that we have Thursday and Friday off from school for teacher's conferences or something, and Melody's parents already said that I could stay the weekend with them if I come down."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Charlie asked and I gave him a small smile.

"You don't have to, Charlie," I said quietly.

"You shouldn't go alone," he said as he shook his head and seemed to think for a second as he looked at his nearly empty plate before his dark eyes returned to my face. "Jacob should go with you," he said, which totally and completely surprised me. "I still really don't understand the connection you two have, but I know that you two don't like to be apart for long and it's not very likely that he'd be okay with you leaving for three days."

"Yeah, that's why I'm nervous to talk to him about it," I admitted.

"Which is why he should go with you," Charlie said. "Something tells me you'll need him while you're there." The expression on Charlie's face was hard to describe as he said that to me, but it was a mixture of sadness and understanding with a few other emotions thrown in; and I smiled sadly at him.

"You're probably right," I said. "I don't think it's going to be a very pleasant trip."

"No, I don't think so either." I stood from my seat then and walked around the table to throw my arms around him. Unlike before, when he would stiffen and hesitated before he returned my unexpected hugs, Charlie quickly wrapped his arms around me in return and hugged me back. His hug wasn't quite as tight as mine since he was still mindful of my 'wounds,' but his embrace was more than welcoming at that moment. "Thank you, Charlie," I whispered and his arms tightened a little bit before I pulled back from him.

As I righted myself we heard the front door open, Charlie had left it unlocked after he grabbed the paper that morning, and both of us knew who it was. I turned to look towards the entrance to the kitchen just as Jacob stepped inside of it dressed a gray t-shirt, dark jeans, and his usual boots. I smiled at him as his eyes moved between Charlie and me before he smiled back at me and closed the distance between us. He was quick to wrap his arm around my waist before he pulled me into his side and pressed a kiss to my left temple.

"Morning," he said as he looked at Charlie who grinned and shook his head.

"Good morning, Jake," he said with a light chuckle before he returned to his breakfast while Jacob and I moved over to my side of the table.

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked, knowing he was always hungry and Jacob shook his head.

"I had breakfast with Dad this morning before I came over, so, I'm good for now," he said.

"You sure?" I asked as I picked up my fork and he nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, Rory, don't worry about me. Just eat your breakfast," he said before his hand that rested on the back of my chair started playing the ends of my hair, twisting the strands around his fingers. I nodded my head and finally tucked into my food. Thanks to Charlie I was a little more at ease to talk to Jacob about going down to San Diego because Jacob would be more than willing to go with me, but talking to him about visiting Emily's today was another story. However, I held out hope that he wouldn't fight me on it and that I would get to visit with my friends again.


	36. Chapter 36

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the last chapter even though I wasn't sure about it; and I really hope you like this one as well. As always, thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

It was almost two in the afternoon and Jacob and I had had a pleasant lunch with Billy who was more than happy to see that I was doing as well as everyone was telling him with his own eyes. I had just finished cleaning up and doing the dishes inside before I had joined Jacob his garage, leaving a grinning Billy inside and watching one of the last Mariners' games of the season. I had perched myself on the hood of Jacob's little red car, catching him grin as I got comfortable by leaning back on the palms of my hands on the hood and crossed my right leg over my left. I smiled to myself in return before I tilted my head to the side and frowned slightly as I watched him work on his motorcycle. He had grease all over him and I had no idea how he had managed to get so much grease on his shirt when he'd only been outside for barely forty-five minutes.

"I thought Rose had fixed your bike. What exactly are you tinkering with?" I asked from my perch and Jacob looked at me with his grin still on his lips.

"I'm just making sure everything's in working order," Jacob said before he paused in what he was doing to look at me. "Since I plan on taking you for a ride this afternoon, I don't want to chance anything happening." I smiled at him as I righted my head and leaned forward, resting my forearms on my right thigh while Jacob returned his eyes to his bike.

"Jacob, there's something I want to talk to you about," I said quietly after several more minutes of just watching him work. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "Well, a couple of things actually," I added after a beat and he furrowed his brow as he lowered his hands, the right holding the socket wrench he was using, to his thighs. I couldn't help the fact that my nervousness made my heart rate pick up, and Jacob's frown only deepened when he heard it. He sat down his tools and stood, grabbing a yellow cloth and wiping his hands, before he walked over to me. He sat the now dirty cloth down on the hood of the car beside me and looked at me expectantly.

"What is it?" he asked with a slight shake of his head. I decided to talk to him about going to San Diego first, knowing that that topic would likely not lead to him storming away from me and phasing, and I took a slow deep breath before I raised my hands and tucked my far too long hair behind my ears.

"Next month, on the twentieth, it'll be one year since my mom passed away," I said and the frown immediately left Jacob's face as understanding settled in his dark eyes. "That's a four day weekend for me since school's out for a couple of days, and I wanted to fly down there on Thursday, spend some time with Gina and Melody, and visit the cemetery on Saturday before flying back on Sunday."

"And you're asking if it's okay that you leave?" he asked quietly.

"Yes and no," I said and he frowned once again. I smiled sadly at him before I sat up a little straighter, uncrossed my legs, and reached out to him. I grasped both of his hands and pulled him toward me to where he ended up nestled between my slightly parted legs with his hands on the hood of the car on either side of my hips while my hands moved to his shoulders. "I'm not asking you for permission, Jacob Black, I'm more or less telling you that that that is what I'm going to do, but I am asking if it is possible for you to go with me," I said, whispering the last bit since our faces were barely two inches apart.

"You want me to go with you?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised that I had asked him to come with me.

"Of course I do, Jacob," I said, "and I would really like for you to come with me because I honestly don't think I'll make it through the weekend without you there."

"You know I would go with you in a heartbeat, but I can't afford a-," he started but I silenced him by kissing him soundly, my hands leaving his shoulders to cup his face as I kissed him. Instinctively, Jacob's hands grasped my hips tightly as he kissed me back and moved his body even closer to mine before I found myself leaning back slightly with Jacob taking control of the kiss that I had just meant to be an innocent peck. My hands slid down to rest on his chest before I gently pushed at the warm solid muscles that rested underneath the soft cotton of his shirt. It was my signal for him to end his dominating kiss that thankfully he quickly got because he slowly brought the kiss to an end before he rested his forehead against mine.

"You don't have to worry about buying a ticket, Jacob," I said, sounding just as winded and breathless as I felt, and mentally struggled to find the words. "I'll be able to get both of our tickets with very little trouble at all."

"You shouldn't have to," he said as he lifted his head and looked down at me, his hands still gripping my hips while my remained on his grease covered t-shirt. "I should be able to pay for my own ticket."

"Yeah, well, you don't exactly have the time to go job hunting or actually work and funds are tight for you and Billy," I said and Jacob sighed quietly before he opened his mouth, ready to argue his point, but I wouldn't let him. "There are not enough hours in the day for you to run patrol, take care of your pack members _and _your father, satisfy your need to spend a few hours with me, and sleep, Jacob Black. You should be in school, but your plate is too full even for that so you can't exactly squeeze in a nine to five right now." Jacob snapped his mouth shut and sighed through his nose as his dark eyes held my blue. I may have gloated a bit by smiling a bit too much and in a slightly dorky way when I noticed his slightly defeated and 'I give in' look, because Jacob scoffed a quiet laugh before he rolled his eyes and shook his head as he looked at me.

"I hate it when you win," he said. "You're always so proud of yourself when you prove your point that it kind of stings my pride, babe."

"Sorry," I said through a soft laugh, which made Jacob snort (like full on snort) before he shook his head once again.

"Yeah, you really sound it," he said, which only made me laugh fully as I raised my hands to his face once more and kissed him chastely.

"And yet you still love me," I said cheerily, earning a fully fledge smile from him as I returned my hands to his shoulders. "So, would you be up for a trip to San Diego with me next month, Jacob?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"More than up for it, but what are you going to tell Charlie?" he asked as he frowned slightly.

"I already talked to him about it this morning, and he actually suggested that you go with me," I said, which caused his eyebrows to rise as he looked at me. "He didn't want me going alone, and he figured you were the best man for the job."

"That I am," he said, his smile returning and I laughed quietly only to be silence by Jacob kissing me softly. "So," he said as he ended the brief kiss and met my eyes once again, "was that the only thing you wanted to talk to me about."

"No," I breathed quietly. "There's something else, but I know you're not going to take it very well."

"What?" he asked as he pulled back, standing to his full height in front of me with his hands leaving my hips while mine slid down his torso to rest on his. I gripped the belt loops of his jeans, hoping that when I spoke that that would be enough to keep him in place.

"I want to visit Emily and the others today," I said as I watched Jacob's reaction carefully. His shoulders stiffened, hell, his entire body stiffened as his hands clenched at his sides. The serious expression on his face remained cool, but I could see the anger, which wasn't directed _at_ me, start to fill his eyes.

"That's not happening. I don't want you anywhere near Sam and you know wherever Emily is Sam will be," Jacob said.

"Jacob, I miss my friends," I said honestly and he took a deep breath through his nose before he looked away from me. "I miss Emily, Kim, and little Claire. I miss the other guys. You can't tell me that you don't miss hanging out with all of them too."

"I don't miss Sam," he said tightly as he turned his eyes back to mine and I sighed quietly.

"I know, Jacob," I said before Jacob wrapped his hands around my wrists before he gently pushed my hands away from him. He took a step back before he turned around, walked closer to the open doors of the garage, and then turned back around to look at me with at least five feet between us.

"You're still set on forgiving him? On forgetting that he nearly killed you, Aurora?" he asked, his hands clasping at his sides once again as I saw the trembling of his muscles ripple through his shoulders and down his arms.

"I'm never going to forget what happened, Jacob," I said as I climbed off the car and stood in front of it, keeping the distance between us because I knew Jacob didn't want me too close to him at the moment in case he lost his control. "Do you honestly think that I'm ever going to forget when I've got a permanent reminder of it?" I asked before I moved my hands to hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up slightly, exposing my still healing stomach to the air. It probably wasn't a good idea to do that since I saw the trembling of his shoulders pick up a bit. I lowered my t-shirt then and pulled at the sleeves of my cardigan nervously. "I want to forget it, but I know I won't be able to; but I can forgive him, and I do."

"How? How can you forgive him?" Jacob asked, scowl still in place and sighed softly.

"Because it's the right thing to do," I said and Jacob frowned. "I can't live in bitterness and anger anymore, Jacob. I did that for nearly six months after my mom died; hating the man that hit her car and hating myself for what happened. On the outside I was just numb, and I didn't let anyone know what I really felt. On the inside I was so angry and filled with hate that it didn't do me any good and it's not going to do you any good either." I let out another sigh before I tucked my hair behind my ears as I watched his scowl slowly start to melt away. "If we're all going to work together, you have to put what happened aside, and call a truce with Sam. We can't live with this Hatfields and McCoys like tension between the packs, Jacob."

"Hatfields and McCoys?" Jacob asked, the trembling stopping as he looked at me with raised eyebrows and the corners of his lips tugging up slightly. "Were you watching The History Channel again, Rory?" he asked and I rolled my eyes before I walked a little closer to him.

"Maybe, but you know I'm right," I said. "Again."

"I can't just let it go, Aurora," he said, "and I can't let you be around him."

"Are you going to leave me alone with him?" I asked and his brow furrowed.

"Hell no," Jacob said quickly before his hands reached out and carefully grasped my upper waist before he pulled me flush against his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my hands on the small of his back.

"Then why can't we go and see them?" I asked.

"Aurora," he started but I just pressed myself a little tighter to him.

"Please, Jacob, I just want to visit for a few hours and then we can do whatever you want," I said.

"Whatever I want?" he asked and I nodded.

"Whatever you want," I promised and Jacob sighed, which I knew meant that his resolve was crumbling and he was going to give in to me.

"I can't promise that I'll be able to control myself when we get there," he said.

"I know and I know that a fight is very likely, but . . . just don't hurt him too bad," I said knowing that Jacob's festering anger at Sam would give him an even bigger edge than his slightly larger size already allowed. "If you hurt him too badly, Jacob, you'll hurt Emily, and I don't want you to do that."

"I'll do my best," he said in a veiled promise and I smiled slightly at him.

"So, does that mean we're going?" I asked and he sighed before he gave me a curt nod.

"Since you didn't wear a jacket, go inside, throw on my leather jacket, and give me five minutes to finish what I was doing. We'll take the bike over," he said and I smiled fully at him before I raised my hands to his face and pulled his mouth down to mine. He kissed me back, his hands tightening on my waist a bit before I pulled back slightly and met his dark eyes.

"Thank you," I said and he sighed yet again.

"You know I would have agreed eventually," he said. "It's damn near impossible for me to tell you 'no' on anything."

"That the imprint or because you love me?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Both," he said before he kissed my nose and then let me go. "Now get a move on before I change my mind." I rolled my eyes and laughed before I left the garage and jogged to the house with a smile on my face as I went.

* * *

Jacob sighed as he brought his bike to a stop and settled his boot clad feet on either side of it while I sat back a bit and started taking off my helmet. "Are you sure you want to be here?" Jacob asked me quietly, looking over his right shoulder at me just as I pulled the helmet off my head and I nodded as I looked back at him.

"Yes, Jacob, I do," I said before I held onto his waist with my right hand while I swung my leg behind the bike and climbed off like I had several times before. Jacob sighed once again before he put down the kickstand and stood before he took the helmet from my hands, which allowed me to tame my hair. I heard rustling in the trees and while I shouldn't have been I was surprised to see Embry, Quil, and Leah ambling over; the boys dressed only in their cut offs and Leah in a t-shirt and shorts.

"I took a few precautions," Jacob said as I turned my questioning gaze to him and it didn't take me long to figure it out. When I'd gone inside he must have phased and asked them to come with us just in case things with Sam got out of hand and he needed back up; and I sent up a silent prayer that it didn't end up coming to that.

"Aurora!" came the familiar voice of Emily and I turned towards the house just as Emily and Kim came rushing down the stairs and I met the girls halfway only to be engulfed in a tight three-way hug with the pair. The hug only lasted a few seconds when the two girls pulled away, but Emily adjusted her hold on me and held me at arm's length. "You have no idea how relieved we all were when we heard you woke up and that you were okay. Are you okay?" Emily asked, the unscarred side of her face clearly showing her anxiousness and worry as her dark eyes scanned over me.

"I'm okay, Emily, I promise I am," I said quietly and she sighed softly before she hugged me once more, but this time by herself.

"Don't take this the wrong way, please, but what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I missed you and Kim and the rest of the guys," I said, "and they need to squash it and make things right. It will be better if the packs work together rather than be at each other's throats." Emily took a deep breath and nodded her head before she let out a soft sigh and turned her engagement ring around her left ring finger, which I knew to be a nervous habit of hers.

"Are you really okay, Aurora?" Kim asked before she worried her bottom lip.

"Yeah, I am," I assured her with a small smile and I saw her shoulders relax before she let out a quiet sigh and released the hold her teeth had had on her lower lip.

"I am so sorry for what happened," Emily said and I turned my eyes to her.

"It's okay," I said automatically and Emily frowned before she lowered her hands to her side and shook her head.

"No, it is most definitely _not_ okay, Aurora," she said. "I was hoarse for a full day after I yelled at Sam when I found out what happened. I still have yet to have any sort of conversation with him and he's taken up residence on the sofa until further notice. He's lucky I even feed him right now I'm so mad at him."

"Good to know I'm now the only one," Jacob said before I felt his hands slip under the bottom of his jacket that I was wearing and take hold of my hips as he pulled me against his chest.

"Hello Jacob," Emily said softly as she looked up at him. She looked like she wanted to hug him too and apologize about a million more times and I couldn't help but smile slightly as I looked at her.

"Hey Em," he said back. "Where's Sam?" The tone of his voice and the way that he asked that simple question told me that he already knew where Sam was, and likely the others as well.

"Here," came Sam's voice and I sucked in a breath when Jacob's fingers gripped my hips just a little too tightly as he brought moved me back so my back was firmly against his chest.

I turned my eyes towards the house to see Sam, Jared, and Paul standing there; all of them fully dressed; and I assumed that Collin and Brady were likely inside or out running around somewhere. I couldn't help the lurch that my heart did upon seeing Sam, but in all honesty I wasn't afraid of him and thankfully after that little jump my heart returned to normal. Sam's eyes were on Jacob, but as he started to walk down the porch steps, with Paul and Jared following, he looked at me.

"Rory, go stand with Embry," Jacob said quietly before he turned me away from Sam and gently pushed me towards his third-in-command.

I glanced at Jacob when his hands left me before Embry took hold of my hand and pulled me around him so I was standing just behind him, but Jacob's eyes were focused on Sam and the look on his face could only be described as murderous. Quil stood to Embry's left and Leah on Quil's as they stood back and at the ready should something happen and Jacob require their help. Emily and Kim had also moved back, Kim standing behind Jared much like I was Embry while Emily stood beside her, twirling away at her ring. Emily may have been angry at Sam, who she was currently keeping in the dog house, but that did not mean she wanted him to get hurt.

"Why?" Jacob asked, his voice low and his hands clenched once again at his sides. "Why did you it, Sam?"

"I wish I had an answer for you, Jacob," Sam said lowly, his eyes downcast as he spoke before he slowly returned his eyes to Jacob's face, "but I don't. It . . . just happened, and I truly am sorry. I really don't know what came over me."

"She's my _imprint_, Sam, and you nearly killed her!" Jacob growled as his shoulders trembled and his muscles yet again rippled as he fought against phasing.

"Jacob, calm down," Sam said as he raised his hands, but even to me it sounded almost like an order and Jacob's growl told me he took it that way as well.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Jacob yelled. His shaking was almost uncontrollable now and Sam had lowered his hands and took a deep breath as he took half a step back from him. "With Emily it was an accident," Jacob said, his voice dangerously low and for a fleeting moment I was actually afraid of him. "She was standing too close and you weren't in good enough control of yourself yet, but with Aurora . . . with her it was _different_. You intentionally hurt her and you broke our highest law, Sam, and the only reason you can give me is you don't know." Jacob took a deep breath and when I looked to Sam I swore I saw fear flash across his face. "Not good enough," Jacob hissed through his teeth before suddenly Jacob's large russet wolf was standing in his place as his shredded clothing fluttered to the ground. Embry put his right arm out in front of me and forced me back several steps as he acted like a human shield. Sam had followed Jacob and phased into his large black wolf before all hell broke loose.

"Jacob!" I shouted as I put my right hand on Embry's right bicep since his arm was still around me and holding me in place. My shout went ignored as Jacob and Sam fought and moved around towards the back of the house and the larger backyard. Our small group followed, Embry ensuring that I stayed at his side and far enough away to be considered safe as the two alphas battled. They were growling, tackling, and biting at each other; but I couldn't help but notice that Sam wasn't really fighting Jacob. His moves seemed all defensive and when there was an opening for him to go after Jacob he didn't take it.

Suddenly, Jacob let out a loud growl before he pretty much head butted Sam, sending the large black wolf flying before he hit a tree that was close by and crashed to the ground with a soft whine. Jacob was growling and slowly closing in and I saw Sam lift his head, before Sam struggled to get to his feet. Sam was hurt, I could tell by the fact that his legs shook as he tried to get into a defensive stance, and when he collapsed back to the ground with a whine he was hurt far worse than he was trying to let on. However, Jacob was still closing in, and I could hear Emily start to cry. I didn't understand why none of the guys or Leah were intervening and stopping Jacob from hurting Sam any more than he already. So, I broke free of Embry's hold and ran towards the pair.

"Aurora, wait!" Embry yelled after me, but I ignored him. Thankfully, Embry calling my name drew Jacob's eyes from Sam to me and he turned his head to look at me as I ran to him. My stomach hurt and my rib pulled as I ran, but even though Jacob had stopped walking and was focused on me I wasn't about to stop until I reached him.

"Stop," I said breathlessly when I finally reached him moving to stand in front of him with Sam a few feet behind me. "You've proven your point. There's no reason for you to keep doing this anymore. He's not even fighting you; so, just stop, Jacob." My voice shook as I caught my breath and realized then that thanks to the last two weeks of no working out and skipping out on doing the same the week before had left me slightly out of shape. However, my voice was still firm and despite being a little winded I did my best to maintain a stern expression on my face as I locked eyes with Wolf Jacob.

Jacob and I stared at each other for a beat before he raised his large head and looked behind me, growling lowly before he huffed through his nose as his eyes returned to my face. He took a few steps towards me, his nose nudging my cheek gently, and when he did that I realized that Emily wasn't the only one that had been crying during the fight. Jacob ran his muzzle along the side of my face and I closed my eyes as I raised my left hand to rest on the other side of his muzzle. He pulled back from me and I took a deep breath before I raised my hands to my face and wiped at tear trails left behind from my earlier tears before I turned around and looked at Sam.

Thankfully, Sam was standing and his legs were no longer shaking under his weight as he looked at me with a bowed head and sad dark eyes that were filled with a non-verbal apology as he looked at me. His accelerated healing had obviously repaired some of whatever damage Jacob had caused enough for Sam to stand without much trouble. Despite Jacob's teeth latching on to the bottom hem of his jacket I was wearing and tugging slightly I remained where I stood with my eyes still on Sam. I should have been afraid of Sam now that he was in his wolf form and standing only a handful of feet from me, but I wasn't. The way he was standing reminded me of a chastised puppy so it was easy for me to feel no fear as I stood there with Jacob right behind me.

"I don't know why you did what you did, Sam, and I believe you when you say that you don't know why you did it either," I said as I continued to hold Sam's gaze, "but I forgive you." At that, Sam lifted his large wolf head and even though he was an animal at the moment I could clearly tell he was surprised. Jacob let out an unhappy huff behind me, but I ignored him. "We all need to put what happened that night behind us and move forward because the two packs have to work together." I felt like a broken record because it seemed like I had been saying the same thing to different people all day, but the words needed to be said yet again. Sam nodded his head before his eyes flickered behind me and to Jacob, but I brought his attention back to me.

"Don't worry about Jacob," I said evenly. "He'll be able to put aside his differences and work with you. I just wouldn't try to order him around again. Now that he's assumed the role of alpha he's gotten even more stubborn than he was before," I joked, once again trying to ease tension with my terrible and lame humor.

Thankfully, it must have worked because I heard the guys by the house laugh while Jacob grumbled behind me before he nudged my back with his nose; but my eyes remained on Sam. If he could, I was pretty sure that Sam would have been smiling at me before he nodded his head. I let out a relieved sigh before I smiled at Sam and then turned around to look at Jacob.

"You're lucky I packed you some clothes and shoes otherwise you'd be running around naked for the rest of the day," I said and I swore Jacob rolled his eyes at me. "Phase out, get dressed, and _talk_ to Sam," I said knowing that Sam could also hear me. "Work things out and come to an agreement on patrols and stuff like that. Be the leader I know you are, Jacob." His dark eyes softened as he looked at me before he reached out and licked my cheek. I laughed at him before I put my hand on his nose and gently pushed his face from mine. "Dork," I said with a laugh and just like with Sam I was sure Jacob would be smiling if he could. "Now, get to work," I said before I turned away from him and walked away, relief filling me as I walked.

* * *

Jacob and I didn't end up staying very long, really only long enough for Sam, Jacob, and the guys to come to an understanding and make patrol arrangements. While they did that I had a nice visit with Emily and Kim and just catching up. It had been nice to spend some time with the girls again, and I hadn't realized how much I had missed them while we had been apart. I'd even made Emily promise to cut Sam some slack because if I was able to put what happened behind me she should too.

Now, Jacob and I were at our spot to enjoy a few hours together before he'd take me back home. While we'd been sitting together and looking out at the water, Jacob had given me a rundown of the agreement he had come to with Sam. Sam and his pack would cover their original territory while Jacob (who apparently had already talked things over with Carlisle) and his pack would cover what was once just considered Cullen territory. Between the wolves there would be no territorial line but the original treaty with the Cullens remained in place and the Cullens couldn't cross onto the reservation just like before.

The packs would work together should a rouge vampire make an appearance in the area, and while the different packs couldn't communicate with each other Jacob and Sam could; which would be beneficial should an unknown vampire happen to make an appearance and stir up trouble. However, there was only one thing that had put me at ease about the whole thing and that was when before we'd left I had seen Jacob and Sam shook hands; and while Jacob had probably gripped Sam's hand a little harder than necessary, it was a step in the right direction.

Jacob was sitting on top of one of the flatter rocks that rested in our spot with me settled in between his legs and leaning back against him while his arms were securely wrapped around me, holding me in place. My head rested back against his shoulder and his cheek rested against the side of my head as the two of us just enjoyed the peace and quiet that surrounded us. However, the quiet didn't last much longer because Jacob broke it after a seagull flew by us and cawed into the late afternoon air.

"Have I told you how amazing you are today?" Jacob asked as he moved his right hand from where it rested over mine on my stomach to rest on the outside of my right thigh since I had my legs drawn up in front of me. He lifted his head and I turned my face towards his, but didn't bother to lift my head from his shoulder.

"Well, you say that on a pretty regular basis but you haven't said it yet today, so, no," I said earning a grin from Jacob as I smiled up at him for a beat before I lifted my head then and turned so I could look at him, resting my left shoulder against his chest in the process. "So, what did I do that makes you say that this time?" I asked, genuinely curious, and Jacob chuckled.

"You stared me down and put me in my place when I was ready to rip Sam's head off," he said, "and you did it with a pissed off look on your face. I think I might like it when you get a little bossy."

"Seriously?" I asked with a laugh and Jacob laughed with me before he ran his hand up and down my right thigh and raised his left hand to the right side of my face. He tucked my hair behind my right ear before he settled his hand on my neck and ran his thumb along my jaw.

"Yeah," he said. "It was kind of hot actually. I might have to get you riled up and let you take charge in other ways sometime." I felt my face warm at his words since he spoke them with a serious expression on his face and I watched as he smiled fondly at me before his thumb ghosted over my warm and flushed cheek.

"Someone needed to stop you from doing something that I know you would regret in the long run, even though right now you wouldn't have," I said, actively ignoring the last bit that he said, and Jacob just nodded his head as I watched his eyes leave mine before they fluttered to my lips and back to my eyes. My heart skipped in my chest and that was all the reaction Jacob needed before his mouth was pressed against mine and his left hand buried itself in my hair, taking a firm and tight hold on the dark locks.

I don't really know how it happened, but at some point as we kissed I had ended up straddling Jacob's lap with his coat discarded from my body. Hands were exploring of still clothed areas and an all too familiar ache was one hundred times worse than ever before settled in my lower abdomen as Jacob nipped and kissed along the right side of my neck and squeezed my backside with his right hand and my right breast with his left.

"Jacob," I whispered as I slid my left hand up his t-shirt clad chest and he lifted his head and sear my mouth with a fire filled kiss. "Should we really be doing this out in the open like this?" I asked when he broke kiss and started to make his way along the left side of my neck. It wasn't like we hadn't made out heavily at our spot before in the past because we had. However, the previous make out sessions were nothing compared to this one, and at the rate we were going both of us were going to be naked and be a tangled mess of limbs in relatively short order.

"There's no one around," he whispered against my skin before he kissed me at the juncture of my neck and shoulder, which caused me to whimper slightly as I fought to maintain coherent thought.

"That's what you said last time we did anything like this and Collin was watching us. Plus, you may be like my own personal space heater, but it's cold up here," I said softly my words making him growl quietly as he lifted his head and settled both of his hands on my hips as his now nearly black eyes met my blue.

"It's been almost a month, baby," he nearly whined while the look on his face clearly displayed his frustration, but I just smiled at him before I kissed him chastely.

"I know, which is why I was going to suggest we finish this at my place," I said, earning me raised eyebrows from Jacob as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

"What about Charlie?" he asked and I smiled at him.

"He's spending the day with Sue in Port Angeles," I said, "and he told me last night that they were going to catch a movie after dinner; so, he won't be home until at least ten."

"What the hell are we doing here then?" he asked before I found myself swept up into his arms. I laughed as I clasped my hands behind his neck as he bent down and grabbed his jacket before Jacob was running through the trees with me still firmly in his arms and laughing as we went.


	37. Chapter 37

Hey everyone! I am SO SORRY that this chapter has taken forever to post, but for the last two weeks I hadn't been able to access fanfiction on my laptop. No matter what I did I couldn't get the site open and it was the only site I was having a problem with. I could get the main page open, but the second I tried to access anything within the site or log in it didn't work. I haven't even been able to read any of the stories that I follow or anything because of this problem, and I haven't been a very happy camper. Thankfully, my friend did his magic with my computer last night for me and I was suddenly able to access the site. I have no idea what he did, but now all is right in the world again! I would have posted at work, but I'd been so busy at the office that I really didn't have much time to do that.

I'm also sorry for not responding to everyone's reviews, but thank you all so much for all of your reviews; and a big thank you to cullensrule for all of your reviews as you caught up on the story. I promise to respond if you leave a review for this chapter, and I really hope you all like it. There are 'adult situations' in this chapter and I hope that makes up for me making you wait forever. I plan on having the next chapter up this weekend. Thank you all for reading and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

We had no more walked through the front door of the house and closed the door behind us and Jacob had me pressed against the door, his mouth on mine. He bent his body down, never breaking our kiss, and grasped the back of my thighs before he lifted me from the floor. He wrapped my legs around his waist while I wrapped my arms around his shoulders before he pulled my back from the wall and turned around to head towards the stairs. We continued to kiss as Jacob carried me upstairs and into my bedroom and it only felt like seconds later when he laid me back on my bed, his hands sliding down my thighs as he broke the kiss and moved away from me so he was standing beside my bed and in between my legs as they hung over the side of the bed.

Normally, there was a slow build up when we made love but as I watched Jacob take off his shirt and his hands move to the button of his jeans I had a feeling it wasn't going to be like it always was. I kicked off my shoes as I sat up and pulled off my cardigan, my eyes on Jacob's face as I tossed it aside and quickly took off my t-shirt tossing it with my cardigan. Jacob watched as I laid back on the bed, scooting away from him slightly, and unbuttoned my jeans before I pulled them from my body and they joined the rest of my clothes.

He was standing there, dressed only in his boxer briefs, while his eyes scanned over my body lingering in certain parts like they always did (even when I was fully dressed). I should have been nervous about the slightly scabbed and still healing scratches on my stomach, but I wasn't. Not anymore anyway. Jacob had made it perfectly clear that he still wanted me in every single way, and that was why despite my current state of undress my confidence remained and why I wanted nothing more than to make love to him. When his eyes met mine and I saw the desire, physical hunger, and love in his eyes I smiled at him before I raised my right hand and beckoned him to come closer with my index finger.

Jacob grinned before he quickly discarded his boxer briefs and joined me on the bed, my face flushing and my heart skipping a beat as he brushed against my leg and sent electrical currents rushing through my body as I gripped his shoulders. However, when he leaned into kiss me, I my hands tightened on his shoulders and using my right leg and a little bit of effort I turned him over so he was lying back on my bed, mostly on my pillows. He looked at me with raised eyebrows as I straddled his lower torso, but I just grinned as I ran my fingers through my hair, tossing it out of my face, before I ran my hands up and down his chest and kissed him softly.

Jacob's hands settled on the outside of my thighs as we kissed but after a moment I pulled away from him and sat back, righting myself fully. I could feel that he was more than ready against my backside, before I made quick work of my bra. Jacob's hands left my thighs and grasped my breasts firmly as I tossed my bra aside. I took in a shuddering breath as my hands covered his as he gently squeezed and pulled at my chest, our eyes locking. I let him has his fun for a minute more before I pulled his hands from me and settled them on my hips as I leaned in to kiss him. My hands rested on either side of his head as I kissed him and he kissed me back while his hands ghosted up and down my thighs. However, after several blissful seconds I pulled away and slid my body down his before I climbed from the bed. Jacob raised his head and looked at me with a furrowed brow but I just smiled at him.

"Turn down the bed and lay back," I said. For some reason my hands started to shake a bit while my heart continued to hammer away in my chest. I saw a faint smirk come to his lips before he moved around and did as I said. He kept the comforter and top sheet turned down as he settled himself back against my pillows with a sigh and put his hands behind his head as he looked at me expectantly. I smiled at him before I turned to my nightstand, well aware that he was watching every single move I made, before I opened my bedside drawer and pulled out a small foil packet. I tossed it at him and thanks to his fast reflexes he caught it, but he looked at it with a frown before he returned his eyes to my face.

"Why do we need this?" he asked as he held up the condom and I laughed quietly as I closed the drawer and looked back at him.

"I haven't taken my birth control since the whole mess at the Cullens' place happened," I said and understanding flashed in Jacob's eyes. "I love you more than anything," I said as I took off my underwear and climbed onto the bed, "but I am so not having your baby right now. We've got a few years before I'll be ready for that." He chuckled quietly as I swung my right leg over his lap and took the condom from his hand while he remained lying back on the pillows, looking at me with a tender smile.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm ready for that right now either," he said and I smiled at him before I took him into my hand.

He gasped as he closed his eyes and quickly brought his hands to rest on my thighs once again. I smiled as I slowly tugged and pulled gently at him, causing him to jerk in my hand and his fingers to dig a little bit more into my flesh. I let him go, watching as his member fell back against his lower stomach, but I was quick to start touching him again, my fingers slowly running up and down his length and the ache in between my legs returning tenfold. My eyes flickered between my hand and his face as I lightly scraped my nails against his super sensitive flesh. He jerked at least an inch into my hand before his eyes snapped open as he took in a sharp breath. His right hand let go of my thigh before he quickly wrapped his fingers around my wrist, stopping my fun as his dark eyes met mine.

"You do that again and it'll be over before it even starts," he said roughly before he took the condom from my left hand and quickly put it on. He grasped my hips and pulled me forward with such force that I fell forward a bit, my hands falling on his chest out of instinct to catch myself and my long hair fell over my shoulders to gently brush against the sides of his face and rest against the pillows behind him, creating a curtain around us as we looked at each other.

"I thought you were going to let me be in charge," I said quietly as I looked down at him.

"Later," he said before he let go of my left hip before he took hold of my left wrist. "Right now, I just need to be inside of you, Aurora." He slid my hand down his chest and stomach before his hand guided mine to wrap around him. I took him into my hand and squeezed softly while his hand returned to my hip. With our eyes locked I positioned him against me before he pushed my hips down. I closed my eyes as my left hand returned to his chest and I let out yet another shuddered breath as our pelvic bones met and I gently rolled my hips.

Suddenly, Jacob wrapped his arms around me and turned us around so I was lying back on the bed and he was above me. I opened my eyes and looked up at him just as he leaned down and caught my lips with his. I sighed into the kiss as Jacob's started slowly moving in and out of me, but it wasn't long before Jacob's thrusts became faster and harder as he broke our kiss only to plant kisses down my neck and across the top of my chest as he continued to set the pace. Small shockwaves of pleasure rocked my body and I could only wrap my legs around Jacob's hips and spur his hard pace on. My left hand was gripping his right shoulder blade while my right hand was laced in the short strands of his hair as he managed to take my right breast into his mouth. I let out a small cry when he gently bit down on my nipple as he rolled his hips into me only to have him repeat the action, which sent me over the edge.

I clung to him and he grunted as he raised his head from my chest and buried his face against my neck as I shook slightly underneath him before he once again started moving his hips into mine. He kissed me, hard, as he picked up the pace even more; so much so that even in my euphoria I could hear my bed start to creak in ways that it never did before. It wasn't long before I tore my mouth from his and cried out his name as the world once again exploded around me and I dug my nails into his back. The bed jerked and shook just before Jacob grunted and growled as he buried his face into my neck once again as he too found his release. I could feel him move inside of me as he kept our hips pressed together before he slowly lifted his head and caught my lips in a soft kiss as he shifted his weight on his left elbow and gently ran his hand over my sweat covered forehead and the top of my hair before he let it rest there.

When he broke the kiss both of us were breathless and panting as he remained lying on top of me and pressed his forehead against mine while my trembling hands gently ran up and down his sides. I was sweating due to not only our love making but because of Jacob's warmth that surrounded me. However, I had no intentions of moving any time soon. My entire body was tingling and my limbs felt very weak as my legs unwrapped from around him and my feet rested on the bed beside his thighs while my hands settled on his lower waist, just above his hips.

"I think we broke your bed," he said through his slight panting and I opened my eyes just as he lifted his head from mine.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly since my mind was still in the usual Jacob induced fog that I often found myself in when we were left alone. Jacob chuckled and moved his hand along the top of my hair once more, his thumb brushing across my forehead.

"I think we broke your bed," he repeated, a satisfied and tired smile on his face.

"Wait, we what?" I asked after his words sunk in and after blinking a few times and gathering myself I realized that the bed was indeed leaning crooked. It felt like the left top corner was far closer to the floor than it should have been and the two of us were lying at an angle with our heads pointed towards my nightstand. "Hell, we broke my bed," I breathed and Jacob laughed yet again before he kissed me softly and briefly. "That's going to be fun to try and explain to Charlie if he happens to come into my room."

"Don't worry, Rory," he said quietly. "I'll fix it." I smiled up at him and nodded my head before he kissed me once again and slowly pulled himself out of me. A tiny pain filled whimper escaped my lips as a bit of unexpected pain rushed through me as Jacob withdrew and he froze above me before he broke our kiss and my hands slid up to rest on his ribcage. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly as I opened my eyes and shook my head.

"Nothing," I said, my right hand moving up to rest against the left side of his neck. "Nothing at all," I whispered before I pulled his head back down to mine and kissed him solidly. Jacob easily kissed me back, but the kiss didn't last very long as I slowly brought the kiss to an end and smiled up at him. "I'm going to take a shower. Do you want to join me before you attempt to fix my bed?" I asked. I was a bit too swore at the moment for round number two, but that certainly didn't mean the two of us couldn't have a little more fun while we had a few more hours to ourselves.

"Most definitely," he said with a grin before he climbed from the bed, and discarded the condom in the small trashcan by my desk. I made a mental note to take out the trash in my room as soon as possible to 'destroy' the evidence of our early evening activities when he moved over to the bed and picked me up bridal style once more. I laughed quietly as he walked out of my room and headed towards the bathroom, a more than smug grin on his face as he went.

* * *

_Three Weeks Later_

It was the Thursday morning that I was both looking forward to and dreading at the same time for the last three weeks. My suitcase was packed and ready to go as it rested at the foot of my bed, which thankfully Jacob had managed to fix with wood glue and several long and scary looking nails.

It was early, barely six in the morning, but I was showered and dressed in a pair of black leggings and a sleeveless navy blue dress that was pattered with small soft orange flowers and came to rest at the middle of my thighs. My long hair was in a loose braid that rested over my left shoulder and I had a thick draped cardigan wrapped around my shoulders to ward off the chill in the air outside. However, I knew once we arrived in San Diego that my cardigan would be discarded and I was looking forward to feeling the sun on my face and skin for the first time in weeks since it had been perpetually cloudy lately.

I was excited for tomorrow because Melody was going to let me borrow her car while she and Gina were in school so I could show Jacob around San Diego and enjoy the day together before we made that drive to the cemetery and reality reared its ugly head and we were reminded just why we were going there in the first place. He tried to hide it, but I knew that Jacob was on the fence about the whole trip.

Part of him was excited and happy for the chance to get away from everything for a while, but the other part of him was worried about what Saturday was going to bring. He hated to see me in any kind of pain and Saturday would bring on the kind of pain that Jacob believed he wouldn't be able to do anything about. The idea alone didn't sit well with him, and over the last couple of days he'd been a little more affectionate and attentive. I was sure it was his attempt to ensure that I knew I wasn't alone and that he was there for me even though he didn't have to because I was already well aware of that. However, I wasn't going to fault him or tell him to stop because it obviously made him feel better.

"Morning," came a sleep laced voice from my open bedroom door and I smiled as I turned my eyes to Charlie. I knew he'd been up for a little while because I had heard him shuffling around downstairs before he had made his way to the bathroom about twenty minutes ago where he had obviously showered and gotten dressed in his usual flannel and blue jeans ensemble. His hair was still wet and poor Charlie looked like he needed at least four cups of coffee in him before he would be fully awake.

"Good morning," I said back with a light laugh as I looked at Charlie, who grinned before he let out a quiet laugh as he walked further into my room and I turned away from my carry on/purse that I was sorting through as it rested on my bed. "Just how late did you get home last night?" I asked teasingly since I knew that Charlie had been over for dinner at Sue's last night and when I had gone to bed at ten-thirty he had not been home yet, which was becoming a common trend that I was happy to see.

"Later than I should have knowing that I'm taking you to Port Angeles this morning," he said dryly before he ran his hand down his face and I let out a full laugh. "I'm surprised Jake isn't here yet."

"He should be here soon," I said. "He just needs to make sure everything's in order with Leah and Embry before we leave." Charlie nodded his head before he ran his fingers through his damp hair. It was nice not to have to dance around Jacob's secret anymore with Charlie, and while I still danced around the whole Bella, Renesmee, and the Cullens issue it was a relief to be able to talk to Charlie about stuff when I needed a neutral opinion on something.

"Well, I'm going to go fix some coffee and start an IV or something," he said and I smiled at him.

"Do you want me to make breakfast?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Not unless you're hungry," he said. I was too anxious to eat that morning, so, I shook my head while Charlie nodded. "I'm still too tired to eat anything right now," he admitted and my smile grew before I laughed lightly.

"I guess that teaches you not to stay out so late, huh?" I asked, which earned me an eye roll and a smile from Charlie before he patted me on my upper back and left me on my own to finish checking my bag. I laughed once again and returned my attention to my task at hand. It didn't take me long to make sure that everything was in order and after zipping up my bag, I pulled the long strap onto my shoulder and turned to my desk where Jacob and my plane tickets rested.

Jacob didn't know it yet but I had spent some serious cash on those tickets because I had bought us two first class seats. There was no way in hell that at six feet seven inches that Jacob would be able to comfortably fly in coach because even at my height it was uncomfortable, and I couldn't even imagine how Jacob would feel spending several hours packed in tight like a sardine. The small plane flight from Port Angeles to Seattle was going to be bad enough, and Jacob deserved to be comfortable. With tickets in hand, I took a deep breath and looked out my bedroom window and the darkness that was holding on for at least another hour or so before I lost myself in thought about the events of the last couple of weeks.

When I started to make our travel arrangements three weeks ago Jacob had been fixing my bed, and while searching for flights on my laptop I had thought that Paul could possibly going with us so he could visit Melody and actually see her in person for the first time in two months. However, when I mentioned it to him Jacob had been quick to shut that idea down. He said that Paul still had a hard time keeping himself in control and while thinking of Melody would often help it wasn't a guarantee that he wouldn't phase when his temper got the better of him. Jacob said that Sam wouldn't let Paul leave the reservation until he had complete control and that that likely wouldn't be for a while. I had agreed with him, knowing he was right, but I was a little sad for both Melody and Paul at the same time.

A week after that Sam had surprised me by showing up at my house. Jacob wasn't with me because he had to take Billy to the doctor that day, so, needless to say I was little apprehensive and on edge when I opened the front door to find Sam standing on the small porch steps. At first I had been a little lost for words and for several beats I could only stare at the slightly older man before he had taken a deep breath and began to profusely apologize for what he had done. He had rambled on for a while before I had finally swallowed down my apprehension and nervousness and invited him in, offering to fix him lunch so the two of us could talk.

It had been an interesting conversation as we sat at the kitchen table and it had started out with Sam asking how I could forgive him as easily as I did. I told him my reason and he had seemed surprised, however, in the end we had come to an understanding. I would never forget what he did to me but I would forgive him, and we all could move on and leave the past in the past. I'd been surprised again when Sam hugged me tight, apologizing once again, before he left and I had hugged him back not saying a word since I really didn't know what to say.

Jacob had arrived at the house about fifteen minutes after Sam had left and practically cornered and interrogated me since Sam's scent was very prevalent in the house and on me. He'd nearly phased in the middle of the living room before I had even said a word, but I'd managed to calm him down and explain what had happened. He hadn't been happy, not at all, and he'd been ready to run over to Sam's and have a few words with him, but I was able to convince him that he was being silly because nothing had happened. At first, he hadn't dropped it but, thinking quickly, I had mentioned that Charlie was working until eight and we had the house to ourselves for another four and a half hours.

Those words and a suggestive smile was all it took for Jacob to practically throw me over his shoulder and jog up the stairs to my bedroom where we tested out the job he had done in fixing my bed. Thankfully, he'd done a pretty good job and in more ways than one because the bed had held up well that evening. I smiled slightly to myself as my heart skipped a beat and I closed my eyes as I let out a soft sigh at the memory and goose bumps raced across my skin.

"Are you thinking bad thoughts, Rory?" came Jacob's voice from behind me before I felt his hands on my hips. I jumped slightly before I turned around in his arms and smiled up at him as I playfully smacked at his t-shirt covered chest with my empty right hand.

"I told you not to sneak up on me," I said, earning a chuckle from Jacob before he leaned down and kissed me chastely.

"Not my fault your mind was in the gutter and you didn't hear me come in," he whispered against my lips before he pulled back and I rolled my eyes as I blushed rushed across my cheeks.

"My mind was not in the gutter," I said even though it most definitely had been.

"Whatever you say, baby," he said and my blush only deepened as I smacked his chest once again, which made him laugh once more. "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah," I said. "Did you get everything squared away with Leah and Embry?"

"I did, and they have every single phone number I can be reached at if something goes wrong," he said and I nodded before I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. For a second, Jacob didn't hug me back and I knew it was because the sudden action likely surprised him; but after a beat he was quick to wrap his arms around me fully as he pressed me a little tighter to his chest and kissed the top of my head. "Is something wrong?" he asked quietly as he rested his cheek on my head.

"No," I said softly. "Nothing's wrong. I just missed you last night." He let out a breathy chuckle before he kissed the top of my head once more and raised his left hand from my back. He put his fingers under my chin and gently urged my head up from his chest and turned my face up towards his.

"I missed you too," he said softly before he rested his hand against my cheek and kissed me solidly. I kissed him back, but sadly the kiss did not last very long because he slowly brought our kiss to an end only to press his lips to my forehead before he pulled back slightly and looked down at me with a small smile on his lips. "Charlie's on his third cup of coffee, so, we should probably head downstairs and put him out his misery by heading on out." I laughed quietly and nodded my head. "How long is our layover in Seattle before our flight to San Diego again?" he asked as he reluctantly let me go before moved to the end of my bed where he grabbed the handle of my large rolling suitcase.

"Not long, barely an hour so once we land from Port Angeles we're going to have to book it," I said, earning a chuckle from Jacob before the two of us made our way downstairs. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs Jacob dropped my suitcase off next to what I assumed was his old duffle bag that looked like something that he probably bought at an Army surplus store since it looked rather sturdy and like it would do well during the flight. Jacob took my hand then and we walked into the kitchen to see Charlie standing by the counter near the now half empty coffee pot with his mug in hand.

"You awake yet, Charlie?" Jacob asked jokingly and Charlie scoffed before he pushed himself off the counter and looked between the two of us.

"The two of you are far too chipper for this early in the morning," Charlie said before he took a deep drink from the cup in his hand and sighed heavily while Jacob and I laughed quietly as we looked at him.

"If you want, Charlie, I can call Leah and she can give us a lift in my car," Jacob said and Charlie shook his head before he finished off the coffee in his cup, put it in the sink, and turned off the coffee pot.

"Let's roll," he said as he grabbed his keys off the counter and walked passed us to the front door. Jacob and I shared a look before we laughed quietly and followed after Charlie.

* * *

"I'm paying you back," Jacob said as we headed towards baggage claim of San Diego International Airport and I shook my head as I kept my eyes ahead. He'd been saying a variation of that since we boarded the plane in Seattle, and I told him the same thing every single time.

"No, you're not," I said.

"Yeah, I am," he said and I stopped walking to look up at him with my arms crossed over my chest. "Why didn't you tell me you bought _first class_ tickets, Aurora? I would have at least chipped in _something_, or better yet talked you out of buying them."

"Jacob, you would have been beyond squished and uncomfortable for the two and a half hour flight if I would have bought us coach tickets, and we've already had this conversation about you paying for the tickets," I said before I uncrossed my arms and raised my hands to rest on his chest as I shuffled my feet a little closer to him. "You coming here with me and going to the cemetery with me on Saturday is more than worth the cost of a couple of plane tickets."

"I don't like you spending that kind of money on me, Aurora," he said quietly as he shook his head and put his hands on my hips.

"It's my money and I can spend it how I want to spend it, Jacob Black, and you have no say in it. Plus, it's not like I'm Edward and went out and bought you a hundred and fifty thousand dollar car," I joked, which earned me an eye roll and a playful growl from him. I laughed at him before he leaned down and caught my lips in a chaste kiss.

"You better not ever do that," he said when he pulled back and I laughed once again as I looked up at him.

"You don't have to worry about that," I said. "I love you and all, but I don't love you _that _much." Jacob scoffed and feigned hurt, which made me laugh before I rose up on my toes and pressed a kiss to his chin. "And I have _really_ come to love that motorcycle of yours, so, no fancy cars for you." I smiled up at him while he laughed before I patted his solid chest, stepped out of his gentle hold, and started walking through the terminal once again. I heard Jacob laugh before he easily caught up with me and took hold of my left hand with his right as we continued on to baggage claim where Melody's mom, Karen, would be waiting for us.

"Are you sure that Melody's parents are going to be okay with me staying at their house?" he asked and I looked up at him. "They don't even know me."

"They're fine with you staying because Melody's told them all about you, and Charlie vouched that you were a, and I quote, 'good kid,'" I said with a smile. "However, we will not be sharing a room. Karen will likely have me bunk with Melody and give you the guest room for the weekend."

"Is that arrangement going to stick?" Jacob asked with a grin and I laughed before I returned my eyes ahead.

"Probably not," I said and I knew that Jacob was undoubtedly still grinning.


	38. Chapter 38

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and I'm sorry that this chapter is up a day later than I promised some of you. The weather was finally nice where I live for the first time in forever yesterday, so, my boyfriend and I took full advantage of it. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. I had initially planned on the big cemetery scene being in this chapter, but as I started writing it the chapter took on a mind of its own and I went somewhere that I hadn't planned on. However, again, I hope you all like it. Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

"Aurora!" a voice called when Jacob and I finally reached the baggage claim carousel where our bags would be coming down and I turned my eyes towards the sound only to see Karen standing on one of the waiting area chairs waving her hand in the air. I laughed quietly and waved back at the petite blonde woman, who smiled brightly before she carefully climbed down from the chair while Jacob and I headed in her direction.

"That's Karen?" Jacob asked and I nodded. "I can see where Melody gets both her looks and her height."

"I know," I said. "Mel's like a carbon copy of her mom just a few inches taller. Poor Karen's barely five feet tall. Mel's dad is a little taller than me though, so, that's probably where she gets the extra inches. I always thought they looked odd standing next to each other until I met you, the guys, and then Emily and Kim because aside from you and me the other imprint couples are just like Karen and Will." Jacob chuckled and I looked up at him.

"I'm really glad you're as tall as you are because it saves me from getting a kink in my neck or back when I do this," he said before he leaned down slightly and kissed my temple. I laughed just as we reached Karen who literally tilted her head all the way back as she looked up at Jacob with wide eyes.

"And here I thought that Melody was exaggerating when she said that your boyfriend was insanely tall, Aurora, but I can see that I was wrong," she said slowly and I laughed once again before Jacob gave Karen one of his charming smiles before he let go of my hand and held his right hand out to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Conrad, I'm Jacob," he said and I swore Karen blushed as she put her much smaller hand into his and shook Jacob's hand.

"Welcome to San Diego, Jacob, and please call me Karen," she said before their handshake ended and I saw Karen flex her fingers. "Are you a bit warm, Jacob? Your hand is really hot."

"I'm fine, Karen," Jacob said as he shook his head and took my hand in his once again. "I've got a higher body temp than most people, but it's nothing to worry about," he assured her and Karen smiled up at him before she nodded her head and turned her eyes to me before she nearly launched herself at me and hugged me tight. I laughed quietly as I let go of Jacob's hand to hug her back.

"It's so good to see you, sweetheart," she said quietly before she pulled back and looked up at me, her smile still in place as she took my hands into hers, squeezing them softly. Jacob looked over his right shoulder for a second before he looked back at us.

"The bags from our flight are unloading," he said. "I'll go get them." I nodded and smiled up at him before he leaned over and kissed my temple once more and left Karen and I alone.

"He seems like a good boy," Karen said as I watched him walk away before she squeezed my hands once again and I returned my attention to her, a small smile coming to my lips as I looked at her.

"He's great, Karen," I said before I admitted something out loud for the first time. "Mom would really like him."

"I've only personally known the boy for not even five minutes, but from seeing him with you and from what Melody's told me I'm inclined to agree with you on that," she said softly before she let go of my hands and my smile grew a little as I looked at me. "You look so much better than the last time I saw you. You look happier."

"I am," I said softly. "I think that moving to Forks, meeting Charlie and Jacob, and making new friends seemed to be just what I needed."

"Good," she said with a firm nod, her blonde bob bouncing around her head and making me smile once more. Jacob reappeared then, rolling my suitcase behind him while his duffle bag was on his back as he held the short strap in place on his right shoulder. He gave me a subtle wink, which told me that despite all the other conversations going on around us that he had heard everything Karen and I had talked about. "Well, are we ready to go then?" she asked and Jacob nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," he said and I laughed quietly while Karen smiled up at him. The three of us made our way out of the airport then. I wasn't surprised that Jacob was getting several looks from various people, mostly women, as we walked through the airport. He was an impressive figure that was hard to miss in a crowd and it was really hard for me to hold back a laugh when I saw a middle aged woman walk into a pillar because she was staring at Jacob. Jacob heard the scoff and quiet noise I had made when I managed to hold back my laugh and looked down at me. "What?" he asked with a grin on his lips and I smiled at him.

"You've managed to garner a few admirers and one of them ran into a pillar because she was staring at you rather than looking where she was walking," I whispered so quietly that I knew only Jacob would be able to hear me, and he laughed before he shook his head. "Personally, I don't see what's so special about you or anything," I added as I returned my eyes ahead and to Karen who was leading us through the airport.

"You are so lucky my hands are full right now, that we're in the middle of a public place, and that we're with Karen," he said quietly, his voice dangerously low and slightly husky, which sent goose bumps up my bare arms and a slight shiver down my spine.

"Why's that?" I asked as I felt my cheeks flush and I looked down to my bag, where I pulled out my sunglasses as well as the pair that Jacob had given me to keep in my bag for him. However, I had nearly dropped both pairs of sunglasses when I felt Jacob's nose brush my hair on the side of my head before I felt his breath against my left ear.

"Because I would remind you what's so _special_ about me," he said softly before he pulled back. Heat flooded my body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes as I turned my head to look at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was grinning as he looked ahead and I rolled my eyes when he finally glanced at me, but he just chuckled in response.

"Do you want me to put your sunglasses on for you since your hands are _full_?" I asked in my normal voice and doing my best to act like the last two minute conversation hadn't taken place. Karen glanced back at us and smiled before she returned her eyes forward while we neared the doors.

"If you want, "Jacob said with a smile before we paused for a second for me to put his sunglasses on his face. "Thanks," he said through his remaining smile and I shook my head at him before we quickened our pace slightly and met up with Karen who was now waiting for us outside. I put on my sunglasses and as we walked towards the parking area we walked out into the sunlight and I let out a soft sigh as I felt the warmth of the sun hit my skin.

Even though the reason I was in San Diego was not a pleasant one, I was happy to be there. Tomorrow I would show Jacob all the places that held a lot of happy memories for me and take him some place that I had never been but knew that he would love. It was there that I was planning on talking to him about something that I had been thinking hard about the last few weeks, and if he agreed, our future together would be a little more planned out.

* * *

The car ride to Karen's house had been a pleasant one with Karen wanting me to tell her all about what the last six months had been like for me, and what I did for fun. I told her everything I could, leaving out all the vampire and shape-shifter mess/reality that was a part of my life now. Then, as we drew closer to the house, she said something I really wish she hadn't brought up while we were within the confines of the car and Jacob was settled in the backseat where I wouldn't be able to calm him down.

"I still can't believe you were attacked by a bear and survived, Aurora," she said as she stopped the car at a stoplight and turned her sunglass covered eyes to me. I glanced at Jacob who was sitting behind Karen since her seat being so far forwarded allowed him a little more leg room. His jaw was tight and his fists were clenched as they rested on his jean clad thighs, and I was proud of him for being able to maintain control since he wasn't trembling. "When Melody told me about what had happened I couldn't believe it, but we were all more than relieved that you were okay in the end."

"Yeah, it was an . . . experience," I said as lightly as I could.

"Melody said your cousin's new father-in-law saved your life," she said as the light turned green and she continued driving.

"He did," I said, glancing at Jacob once more to see him in the exact position he had been in before.

"Well, thank God for that," she said and finally Jacob turned his gaze from burning a hole in the glass of the window to look at me. His reflective sunglasses covered his eyes from mine just like my dark sunglasses covered my eyes from him; but as I watched Jacob's jaw relax and his fingers stretch out to rest on his thighs I didn't have to guess the emotions that were likely swimming in his eyes. I had no doubt that there was relief and love floating around in those dark eyes of his and I gave him a small smile.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I've got a lot of living left to do." He smiled at me then, teeth shining in the sun as it shined on him through the window. That smile of his and how amazing he looked to me at that moment caused my heart to skip several beats in my chest, which only made his smile turn into what could only be describe as a wolfish grin. I blushed and averted my eyes from Jacob and looked at Karen's profile just as she glanced at me with a smile.

"That you do, Aurora," she said, oblivious to how flustered I felt all thanks to a stupid _smile_ from my boyfriend, but thankfully I managed to smile back at her and nod just as she turned into the driveway of her house. "Here we are," Karen said as she hit the electric garage door opener and waited for the garage to open.

"Whoa," I heard Jacob say quietly before Karen pulled her car into the garage, and the three of us climbed out of the car as the door closed behind us.

I knew that 'whoa' had been because Karen's house was impressive. It was a very large two story house with a landscaped front and backyard, and in the backyard there was a large outdoor dining area with a grill, bar, and insanely large pool. It had picture perfect outdoor lightening that was currently off since it was still early afternoon, and the exterior was a stucco and patterned natural brick/rock and the house was just as nice inside as it was outside, and it was unlike anything that was in Forks or La Push. The Cullens' house was only more impressive because all the exterior walls were pretty much made up of windows, so, that gave the Cullens a slight edge in my book.

After Jacob got out bags out of the trunk of Karen's car, we walked into the house and Karen put her purse and sunglasses down on the island in the kitchen. I had already taken off my sunglasses and tucked them into my purse while Jacob had pushed his sunglasses up into his short hair before he had gotten my suitcase and his duffle bag out of the car.

"Well, I think I'm going to fix us all a late lunch since you two are probably starving after all that flying," Karen said. "You know your way around this house just as well as I do, Aurora, so why don't you show Jacob around, give him a quick tour, and then take him upstairs to the guest room so he can put his things away. You'll be sharing with Melody, so, you can put your suitcase in her room." I nodded my head before Karen turned to the sink to wash her hands and then I looked up at Jacob.

"Come on," I said quietly before I led him out of the kitchen to give him a tour as instructed.

"Um, I've gotta use the bathroom," he said once we were in the hall/foyer and I laughed quietly before I took his duffle bag from him and pointed to a closed door on his left.

"That's a bathroom; do you thing," I said with a smile and he grinned before he swooped down and kissed my cheek quickly before he let go of my suitcase handle and slipped into the bathroom. I grabbed my suitcase handle and started walking down the hall and further into the foyer before I reached the bottom of the stairs. I sat Jacob's bag and my suitcase near the foot of the stairs. I smiled sadly when I saw one of the pictures that Karen had resting on the small table that rested near the stairs and I picked it up.

In the photo was Karen, Melody, Gina, Gina's mom Selena, my mom, and me. Karen had given me a copy of the same photograph for Christmas last year, and that photo was tucked away in a photo album that rested on my bookcase in my bedroom; photo album that I hadn't opened since I tucked that photo in it the day after Christmas out of fear of coming across the very picture I was looking at. I wasn't really sure why this picture out of every single picture I had of my mom and me had bothered me to look at, but I assumed that it had something to do with the fact that this photo was taken a week before the accident and was the last photo taken of Mom and me together.

The six of us were squished together because we had all moved to one side of the circular table we had been sitting at in the small Italian restaurant we had gone to for dinner that night. The six of us had gone shopping for Gina's, Melody's, and my homecoming dresses that day; and Karen had want to capture the successful day in a photo, so, our waiter had taken the picture of us. Melody, Gina, and I were going to go to homecoming together as a trio since the three of us hadn't been bothered to worry about an actual date; Gina all for mingling and keeping her 'options open' for the night.

That day the three of us had spent with our moms had been so much fun and it had been Mom that had found the dress that I fell in love with and had bought to wear for the dance. However, I never got to wear the pretty pink champagne spaghetti strapped dress that had a black lace embellished waist and a tiered skirt that fell to rest at my mid-thigh. Homecoming had been a week after the accident and I had encouraged Melody and Gina to go without me. They went, but had only been at the dance for an hour before they left and came back to spend the rest of the night with me since at the time I was living with Melody. I'd given the dress to Melody for safe keeping because I didn't have it in me to keep it let alone wear it, however, as I stood there looking at that picture I hoped that Melody still had it so I could take it home with me and possibly wear it to my senior prom at Forks this spring.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" came Jacob's voice. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up at him. He raised his right hand to my left cheek and ran his thumb along the apple of my cheek, wiping at the wetness I had no idea was even there until he asked me why I was crying. "Are you okay?" he asked me quietly and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said quietly before I turned my face from his and looked down at the photo. He seemed to understand then what had me quietly crying because his hand left my face before he moved so that he was standing behind me with his hands resting on my hips. "This picture was taken a week before the accident," I said very quietly, but I knew that Jacob could hear me easily. "We'd gone shopping for homecoming dresses and had gone out to dinner afterwards. I was just remembering all the fun we had had together that day and how much . . . how much I miss her."

For the first time in months I felt the loss of my mom all over again and with slightly shaking hands I returned the photograph to the table and Jacob was quick to turn me around in his arms once the photo was down and I rested my hands on his chest as I looked up at him. If anyone in the world knew what I was going through it was Jacob since he had lost his mom too. He'd been younger when he lost her, and the wounds of losing his mom weren't quite was fresh as mine but they were still there.

"Of course you miss her, she was your mom," he said as his hands gently ran up and down my sides, easing the tension out of my body, before I let out a soft sigh and leaned against him. "You're always going to miss her, Aurora, but she's always going to be with you. She's a part of you, so, you've never really lost her." I gave him a watery eyed smile before I rose up on my toes as I brought my hands to his face. I kissed him softly and briefly while he raised his hands from my sides to wrap around my wrists as he tried to kiss me back; but I had already lowered myself back down to my flat feet and was looking up at him.

"I think I should probably give you that tour now before Karen has lunch ready," I said, earning a small but unsure smile from Jacob before he lowered my hands from his face and took hold of my hands in his.

"All right," he said softly and he let go of my right hand before he laced the fingers of his right hand with my left and I began to show him around the house.

* * *

Thankfully, my melancholy moment didn't last long and after the tour of the house Jacob and I had joined Karen in the kitchen where she had prepared monster sandwiches for us along with fruit salad. I could only manage to eat half of my sandwich, but Jacob had had no problem finishing the other half. Karen, seeing how hungry Jacob had been, was quick to make him another one with her crusty homemade bread and her variety of fixings. Jacob and I had cleaned up the kitchen before the three of us had gone into the living room to talk and by the time Gina and Melody came rushing through the front door, I was back to my old self and settled on the sofa curled into Jacob's side.

"You're here!" Gina said happily from where she and Melody stood in the archway of the foyer into the living room. I laughed quietly before I untangled myself and stood from the sofa only to meet the girls halfway in our usual three-way hug. The hug didn't last long, but then each of my friends took turns giving me an individual hug. I heard Jacob and Karen laugh as Gina swayed our upper bodies as she hugged me and I laughed along with them until Gina stopped and the two of us pulled apart.

"Hi guys," I said with a smile and Gina rolled her eyes playfully while Melody smiled back at me in return.

"How are you doing?" Melody asked.

"I'm okay," I said as I looked at her and the words were no more out of my mouth when I felt Jacob's warm hands on my hips before his chest was against my back. Both Gina and Melody's eyes moved above my head and Gina grinned as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hello, Muscles, I wish I could say that I'm surprised that you came down with Aurora, but I'm not," Gina said, her grin still in place, and Jacob's chest vibrated slightly against me as he chuckled softly.

"It's good to see you too, Gina," Jacob said dryly and she laughed as she nodded her head at him. "Hey Melody," Jacob said and she smiled up at him.

"Hi Jake," she said back.

"Paul gave me something to give to you," Jacob said and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the apples of Melody's cheeks tint pink as she looked up at Jacob with hope filled eyes. "It's in my bag upstairs, but I'll give it to you tonight."

"Thanks," she said and even though I wasn't looking at him I knew that Jacob was smiling. It was then that Karen joined us and the four of us looked down at her.

"Girls, why don't the three of you go upstairs and visit for a while," she said before she turned her eyes up to Jacob with a smile on her face that wasn't quite like any smile I had ever seen Karen give before. It was a tight smile that did not reach her eyes and I had no idea why she was looking up at Jacob like that, and I wasn't sure that I liked it. "And Jacob, would you mind giving me a hand in bringing up some things from the basement that I'll need to fix dinner with. They're on shelves downstairs that I just can't quite reach."

"Uh, sure," Jacob said as he let go of my hips.

"Great, thank you," she said before she linked her arm with Jacob's and led him out of the living room and down the foyer hall.

"Crap," Melody whispered and I looked at her.

"What?" I asked, but Melody shook her head.

"Let's go up to my room first," she said and I nodded before the three of us went upstairs and into her bedroom. I sat on the edge of Melody's bed next to her while Gina sat down in Melody's desk chair that she had wheeled over to sit in front of us. "Jake mentioning Paul likely just reminded Mom about how I'm not applying to any colleges out east like we had originally talked about," Melody said. "She's not happy that I'm only applying to Washington State and other colleges up there instead."

"Oh," I said quietly and Melody nodded her head with a soft sigh. 'Don't worry about it; Jacob can handle anything Karen throws at him." Melody took a deep breath and nodded her head before she forced a small smile and tucked her loose curls behind her ears.

"You know, I still don't understand why you're doing that," Gina said as she finally uncrossed her arms from in front of her chest as Melody and I looked at her. "I mean, I get that you're really into Paul and everything, Mel, but you've always wanted to go to college in New York. It's kind of weird that you've changed your plans just so you can be closer to some guy." I'd never seen Gina so serious before. She was the easy going 'fun time' kind of girl, and the serious and brooding look that was on her pretty face was not something that I was used to seeing.

"You know how I feel about him, G," Melody said, her voice a little tight, and it was obvious to me then that this had been a regular conversation between the two of them and I had been kept in the dark about it.

"Yeah, I know, you think you love him," Gina said and Melody's face flushed fully as she looked up at Gina.

"I do love him, Gina," Melody said and Gina huffed.

"Sure you do; for all you know he could be playing you and seeing another girl or other girls behind your back. Do you really think that a guy like him is okay with a long distance relationship and not getting it on a regular basis?" Gina asked, and to say I was surprised that Gina was talking to Melody like that was an understatement and for a minute I just looked at her with a slacked jaw while Melody was so angry that she had tears lining her eyes. Whenever Melody was severely pissed off she cried, and I found it insane that Melody's relationship with Paul had become a point of contention in their lifelong friendship.

"G, Paul's not doing anything like that," I said quickly, coming to Paul's defense, and Gina and Melody both looked at me. "He's head over heels for Melody and she's the _only_ girl he's even talking to that's not a friend; and all the girls that are Paul's friends are in relationships, me being one of them. Trust me, G, Paul's in love with Melody."

"Then why didn't he come down here with you and Jacob since he likely had the same days off from school too?" Gina asked, her arms crossing over her chest once more, and I sighed quietly.

"Because his mom wouldn't let him make the trip," I said, thinking quickly and trying to find an excuse that sounded plausible. "I even offered to buy his ticket but she still said no because he's not doing so well in a couple of his classes. Until he gets his grades up he's on restrictions, meaning he can only go to school and work when he's scheduled. The only slack she's been giving him the last couple of weeks are his nightly calls with Mel, and she figured that that was good enough."

"Seriously?" Gina asked with raised eyebrows before she turned her eyes to Melody who was quick to nod in agreement even though what I just spun was complete bull, and I felt terrible for lying to Gina like that.

"Yeah," Melody said. "I've even been helping him with his math and physics homework over the phone sometimes."

"I didn't know that," Gina said after a beat as she uncrossed her arms from her chest.

"You've tried to get me to end things with him for weeks now, G, because you didn't like that I was so serious about a guy that, according to you, I barely knew," Melody said with a small shrug. "I didn't want to give you another reason to talk down about him." Gina and Melody just looked at each other for a minute.

"I thought you liked Paul," I said, still feeling a little bit out of the loop and Gina sighed heavily.

"I do," she said before she ran her fingers through her hair and actually blushed. "I guess I've been a little jealous."

"You're jealous?" Melody asked, her voice going up an octave or two in surprise.

"How can I not be?" Gina asked sounding nothing like my usually bold and extroverted friend. "I mean, I was really into Embry but the guy hasn't even bothered to call me once since we came back home and Paul calls you all the freaking time. I'd hoped to at least talk to Embry for a little while after we got back, but he didn't even text me. I tried to call him a couple of times at first, but he didn't even bother to answer."

"Why didn't you say anything to me? I would have talked to Embry," I said and Gina shook her head.

"And come off as desperate? No thanks," Gina said as she spun around in the chair so her back was to us. Melody and I shared a look of concern before we both returned our eyes to the back of Gina's head. I had had no idea just how much Gina had liked Embry, and when I got home I was going to talk to him to see why he just completely cut her out. It didn't sound like something Embry would normally do because if anything Embry would have at least maintained a friendship with her.

"Is that why you really haven't been going out like you used to?" Melody asked and I heard Gina sigh.

"Sort of," she said before she spun back around and looked at us. "I guess . . . I guess I never realized that I wanted a real relationship until I saw how Jacob was with, Aurora, and then how Paul is either texting or calling Mel just to say 'hi' or to see how she's doing. I'd always thought that I wanted to live life to the fullest and not settle down until I was like thirty or something, but now . . . now I sort of want what you guys have."

"You'll have it someday, G," I said and she looked at me.

"You think?" she asked and I smiled at her.

"Yeah," I said. "It might not be with Embry, but someday you'll meet a guy and everything will fall into place. It's not like your fifty years old and live alone with ten cats or something. You're almost eighteen and you've got your whole life ahead of you. Plus, when you're on you get guys lining up around the block to take you out, just be a little more selective in who you pick out of that line up and you might just find your guy."

"Thanks, Aurora," she said and I nodded my head. Well, the reunion with my friends hadn't started off quite like I planned and I could only hope that rest of the weekend went as planned.


	39. Chapter 39

Hey everyone! Thank you all SO MUCH for your reviews and adds. Once again, this chapter got away from me and the cemetery scene will be in the next chapter. I know it seems like I'm avoiding it, but I'm not because I've already got it planned out. I would have written it into this chapter, but if I would have done that this chapter would have been ten thousand words, but I figure almost eight thousand is good enough. I'm sorry I didn't get to respond to everyone's reviews, but I'm going to be late for work if I don't get a move on. I hope you all like this chapter, and as I always ask/say: please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

Melody was already settled under the covers of her bed when I joined her in her room, dressed and ready for bed in a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, just like she was only the light gray t-shirt I was wearing was Jacob's and I was pretty much swimming in it. It was quarter after ten and the only reason we were going to bed that early was because Melody had to be up at five-thirty to get ready for school, and I would likely be getting up at the same time to start my planned out day with Jacob. I silently laughed as I looked at Melody who was leaning back against her pillow and headboard of her four poster bed as she smiled stupidly down at the small thick leather bound book and the hand written letter that Paul had given Jacob to give to her as it rested over he covered lap.

I hadn't known what it was that Paul had given Jacob, and when Melody opened the small box I had been surprised to see the non-descript dark brown book and multi-page letter that was neatly folded up along with it. I wasn't sure why, but I had been expecting Paul to possibly send her a bracelet like the one Jacob had given me that was once again securely around my wrist after I had gotten ready for bed. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that Kim didn't wear a bracelet, nor did Emily, and I couldn't help but wonder why. I never took mine off unless I was in the shower or took a bath. It was always around my wrist and I would think that Emily and Kim would be the same way if Sam or Jared gave them a bracelet like mine; but rather than worry too much about it I'd ask Jacob because it was likely that he had the answer for me.

I smiled again at the thought of Jacob and how he had looked almost pale when Gina, Melody, and I had gone back downstairs. I was sure that Karen had given poor Jacob the third degree about Paul while us girls had been upstairs, but I didn't know much about what they had talked about. During dinner and the hours that followed Jacob and I hadn't had a minute alone, however, that would change once I was sure that Karen and Will were asleep and I would find out just what Karen had asked Jacob and what he had told her. One good thing though was that Karen seemed a little more at ease after her and Jacob's little chat and when Paul's name was brought up I swore she actually smiled rather than scowled like she had earlier in the day. Still smiling to myself, I plopped down on the queen sized bed beside her as I re-braided my hair over my left shoulder and looked at her just as she looked at me, stupid smile still on her face.

"So, what's with the book?" I asked as I lowered my hands after tying off my braid and Melody laughed lightly.

"Paul knows I like to read and when we were up in Forks he asked me what my favorite book was," she said and I smiled.

"Why did he buy you a copy of 'Little Women'? You've already got a hardcover copy and paperback," I said and Melody laughed once more and shook her head before she looked back down at the book and letter.

"He read it and he wrote me a four page letter telling me what he thought about it and tried to guess my favorite parts of the book. Funny thing is, he guessed right," she said. While Melody smiled down at the items in her hands, I looked at her completely surprised with my mouth open slightly because of it. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was because Paul was not the kind of guy that was a really big fan of reading as a source of entertainment and for him to sit down and read a book like 'Little Women' threw me for a loop. "He also asked me to come up and visit him during winter break," Melody said before she returned her eyes to my face.

"He did?" I asked and she nodded.

"I'm going to talk to my parents about coming to stay with you during the second week, after Christmas," she said. "Do you think Charlie would be open to having a houseguest if they say it's okay?"

"More than open," I said as my smile easily returned. "Charlie loved you and Gina even though he's kind of convinced that Gina's slightly off her rocker." Melody laughed with me before she carefully folded up the letter Paul had sent her before she tucked it into the book and sat it down on her nightstand with a soft sigh.

"I like Charlie too, and we all know Gina's a little crazy but we love her for it," she said as she returned her bright eyes to mine and we both shared a good laugh. Thankfully, after our talk in Melody's room, Gina was feeling better about everything and she was back to her usual self. I'd been surprised by her innuendos that she threw Jacob and my way during dinner because of Karen and Will, but either the two adults acted like they didn't hear them or they really hadn't caught on because neither one of them said anything. "So, how long are you sticking around in here before you sneak off into Jacob's room?" I laughed again while Melody grinned and after a beat I shrugged my shoulders.

"When I think your parents are asleep," I said as Melody scooted further down the bed and pulled the covers up a little further over her body.

"They're probably asleep now," she said. "It doesn't take them long to fall asleep these days, and I really don't think they would hear you since they're room is on the other side of the house."

"You sure?" I asked and she nodded as she grinned at me.

"Yeah," she said. "Go on. I'll come and get you in the morning when I wake up since I get up before my parents. That way Mom won't have an aneurysm if she finds you in there when she comes to wake you up or check on you or something."

"Thanks, Mel, you're the best," I said as I climbed from the bed while Melody chuckled.

"Oh, I know, and you're going to owe me several favors when I come up to Forks in December," she said as I walked over to her door and I chuckled.

"You sound so sure that your folks will let you come up," I said and she smiled.

"They will," she said with all the confidence in the world and I smiled back at her, deciding it was best to let the topic go for the night.

"Whatever you say," I said before I reached her door. "Night, Mel, see you in the morning."

"Night Aurora," she said as she cuddled up with her pillow. I turned off her light and left her room, softly closing the door behind me before I tiptoed my way down and across the hallway. Jacob's door was cracked open slightly, letting a tiny bit of light out into the hallway, but the door was pretty much closed. I pushed it open without knocking and was rewarded with seeing a boxer brief clad Jacob standing at the foot of the double bed with a pair of sweatpants in hand.

He looked like he was not at all surprised to see me as he grinned and tossed the sweatpants he had been holding onto the foot of the bed while I closed the white painted door behind me and leaned against it, my own smile coming to my lips. He walked over to me, slowly like a lion stalking its prey as it moved in for the kill, and my heart skipped several beats in my chest before his hands were on either side of my shoulders and resting against the door as he 'pinned' me in place. I tilted my head back slightly so I could look up into his dark eyes before I raised my hands to his bare chest and slid my hands up his soft skin to rest on his shoulders.

"Hi," I said quietly and he leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips.

"Hi," he said back when he brought our brief kiss to an end and smiled at me. His eyes were dark and soft, but were filled with a lustful hunger as he looked down at me and the fact that it looked like I had nothing on but his t-shirt was helping fuel that look. We both had agreed that nothing of the _intimate_ nature would happen while we were in San Diego, but seeing that look in his eyes made me want to toss out that agreement and have my way with Jacob where we stood. However, I just managed to keep myself in check. If we were caught, sleeping in the same bed could be forgiven, but getting caught doing _that _would be a whole different story and I certainly didn't want that to happen. However, that didn't mean I couldn't think about it and think about it I did as my blue eyes held Jacob's beautiful brown.

"Ready for bed?" I asked innocently despite my breathless voice, and Jacob chuckled. He kissed me slowly and deeply in response before he took my lower lip in his teeth and bit down softly and pulled at it a bit before he let it go and ended out kiss. "Oh you are so evil," I whispered as my left hand slid to his back while my right went up into his hair. He chuckled as I opened my eyes and smiled slightly at him.

"I don't have to be a mind reader like Edward to know when your thoughts go to places they shouldn't, Rory, and teasing you about it is so much fun for me," he whispered before his hands gripped my hips and he fully pressed his massive body to mine, truly pinning me against the cool wood of the door that time. He kissed me harder then as I felt one of my favorite parts of Jacob's body fully awake and at attention against my lower abdomen, which only made me whimper quietly against his mouth as I tried to press my body even closer to him.

It was then that Jacob pulled away from me completely, and I gasped quietly as my weakened legs were now required to hold up my body weight while Jacob turned away from me and slowly walked over to the bed. My hands were pressed flat against the wall to help support my weight and I glared slightly at Jacob's sculpted back as he grabbed his sweatpants from the bed as he pulled them on. However, my glare melted away as my eyes landed on his backside while he was bent over, which only made my already aching center twinge a bit more.

"You know, you really are evil," I said as I got my muscles under control and pushed myself from the door before I took a few steps towards him. He turned around to face me then with a grin on his lips as he adjusted the waist band of his loose sweats so it rested low on his hips. "And you're going to pay for it once we get home."

"Am I?" he asked when I stopped walking and left only a foot of space between us.

"Definitely," I said and his grin turned into a full-fledged smile before he reached out and grasped me by my upper waist and easily pulled me to his chest. I giggled, yes giggled, as I rested my hands on his lower waist and looked up at him with flushed cheeks and racing heart.

"Then I will look forward to it," he said quietly, his eyes scanning my face as the two of us just stood there. "How are you?" he asked gently, and I smiled softly at him knowing that he had been dying to ask that question for hours now and only now getting the opportunity to do so.

"Well, other than being a little _frustrated_, I'm okay," I said.

"Really?" he asked, concern finding its way into his eyes as he elected to ignore the first part of my answer.

"Really," I said. "The girls, Karen, Will, and you have all been welcome distractions to the real reason why I'm here for the weekend; however, I've got to admit that you are most certainly my favorite distraction despite the fact that you don't plan on finishing what you started." He chuckled at that as his hands slid to my back, his right remaining in the middle of my back while his left settled on my lower back.

"Sorry about that," he said and I smiled up at him before I kissed his chin and then rested my head against his chest. I wrapped my arms around him fully, hugging him tightly as I closed my eyes and buried my face into his warmth.

"It's okay. I still love you," I said quietly and he scoffed a quiet laugh before he kissed the top of my head and rested his chin there.

"Tired?" he asked after a few beats of quietly standing there wrapped up in each other's arms.

"A little," I answered honestly, my eyes still closed and my face still turned into his chest, and the next thing I knew Jacob scooped me up from the floor. I opened my eyes then and laughed quietly as he settled me onto the already turned down bed and kissed my forehead before he climbed over me and settled his large frame onto the bed beside me. With only the sheet over our bodies I cuddled up to Jacob's side and he wrapped his arms around me after he turned off the light beside the bed. "Can I ask you something?" I asked as I lifted my head and rested my chin on his chest to look at his face. I couldn't see his expression since the room was dark and I couldn't make anything out because my eyes weren't used to the lack of light yet.

"You know you can ask me anything, baby," Jacob said as his hand smoothed over my back.

"What did Karen ask you about when you two were off on your own?" I asked and he chuckled.

"About a million questions about Paul and his intentions when it came to Melody. I told her that I'd known Paul pretty much all my life and I'd never seen him care about anyone the way he cares about Melody, and that he'd support her if she wanted to go to college out east. I said that he'd want her to do whatever made her happy, even if that meant they continued to be a part for a while," he said and I wasn't really surprised. "She didn't say anything for a little while, but when she finally did she actually made me a little afraid of her."

"What did she say?" I asked with a light laugh and he took a deep breath before he slowly let it out.

"She told me that if I ever hurt you, she didn't care if I was seven feet tall and could squish her like a bug, she would find a way to take away my ability to ever have children." I couldn't help but laugh at that. "It's not funny, Aurora, she was completely serious. You should have seen her face," he said with a slight shiver and I only laughed harder, which required me to cover my mouth with my hand to quiet it so I wasn't heard by our hosts.

"Well," I said once I got my laughter under control and returned my hand to his chest, "that explains why you were a bit pale when we came back downstairs." He grumbled as he tightened his arm around me, pressing me a little tighter to his body for a second before he sighed softly and I felt him relax a little bit more underneath me. Obviously, he was far more tired than he had led me to believe when I came into his room and now that I was cuddled up with him and warm in the bed I too was even more tired, but there was one more thing I wanted to ask before we went to sleep. "I have another question."

"Shoot," he said tiredly.

"Why doesn't Emily or Kim wear a bracelet like the one you made me?" I asked. He didn't say anything at first and I knew that my completely random question likely threw him off, but I wasn't expecting him to turn slightly from me to turn the light back on. I blinked a few times to get used to the sudden light as Jacob turned back to me. "Was that a bad question to ask?" I asked as I looked at him and he shook his head.

"No, of course not; what made you think of it?" he asked.

"I'd thought that maybe Paul's gift for Melody was a bracelet," I said as I shrugged my right shoulder and absently ran my fingers over his rippled stomach, "and when it wasn't it got me thinking. I realized that Emily and Kim didn't have one either and that I was the only imprint with one. I was just wondering why."

"I think it's because the others figure that it's not something they have to do because finding their imprint already means forever and unspoken promises," he said.

"And you don't?" I asked with a small frown.

"Of course I do," he said, "but it's different for you." He shifted so he was sitting up in the bed and he pulled me up with him before he took hold of my left hand and then turned the bracelet around on my wrist. "You don't know those promises and the intensity of our connection that the imprint makes," he said, his eyes on my wrist before he finally turned his eyes back to mine.

"I'm pretty sure I'm aware of that last bit," I whispered and he smiled at me as he laced his fingers with mine.

"Maybe, but your bracelet is my way of making sure you do, and that you never forget them and to remind you of what you mean to me." I don't know why, but tears lined my eyes at the look that was on his face. Not even ten minutes ago he was looking at me like he wanted to eat me alive, now he was looking at me like he usually did when he thought I wasn't looking: like I was the most precious thing in the world and his eyes were overflowing with love.

"Then I'm the luckiest one out of the imprints," I said and the corners of his lips turned upward as he furrowed his brow slightly.

"Why's that?" he asked and I pulled my hand from his before I raised both of my hands to his face and held him in place as I kissed him chastely.

"Because I got you," I whispered as my blue eyes held his brown, "and you're a romantic at heart, Jacob. Who would have thought, huh?" I asked, earning a chuckle from Jacob before he leaned forward and kissed me soundly as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. Sadly, the kiss didn't last long because Jacob slowly brought it to an end and pulled his mouth from mine.

"We should go to sleep," he said quietly, his eyes dancing across my face.

"Yeah, we should," I said, but I wasn't quite done with him yet. Instead of lying back I leaned forward and kissed him again. He laughed against my lips, but easily kissed me back as he wrapped me up in his arms. "I love you," I said when I had my fill of him for the night and finally pulled back from the kiss and he smiled.

"I love you too," he said before he kissed my nose, laid back, turned off the light, and once again pulled me into his side. Finally, after curling myself around him and getting comfortable the two of us slowly drifted off to sleep completely content.

* * *

I had did my best to make the day as best as I possibly could for both of us knowing that Saturday and likely Sunday was going to be challenging and likely leave me so emotionally drained that I wouldn't be good for anything. After a rather large and impressive breakfast that morning that Karen was insistent on putting together for us even though both Will and Melody had already left for work and school respectfully, Jacob and I had left in Melody's bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle. Jacob had been a little cramped in the small car even with the front passenger seat pushed all the way back, but he managed to get in and out of the car just fine and in the end that was what mattered.

That morning I'd taken Jacob to the San Diego Automotive Museum and he was like a kid in a candy store as he walked through the place. He knew far more about the cars on display than I thought he would, and he was rattling off facts to me without bothering to read a lot of the little plaques as we went. I didn't understand most of what he was talking about, but I too had smiled like a fool the entire time because Jacob was so relaxed and happy that it was impossible for me not to enjoy myself.

When we left the museum Jacob had thanked me by kissing me senseless as he pinned me to the driver's side door of Melody's bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle. That had been my favorite part of the visit. From the museum I took Jacob to one of my favorite places, Sunset Cliffs. Sure, it was usually crawling with tourists but to me it was one of the prettiest places to visit and thankfully Jacob seemed to agree.

"This places is beautiful," Jacob said as he wrapped me up in his arms as we stood looking out and taking everything in. "I can see why you like it so much."

"I don't like it as much as La Push," I said after a few silent beats between us and Jacob turned his head and looked down at me.

"Really? Even though if we were up there right now you'd be dressed in layers rather than the shorts and tank top you're wearing now," he said with a good natured smile and I laughed lightly.

"True, but I don't have to wear many layers when I'm with you," I said and he chuckled before he kissed my temple. "Plus, up there, there isn't a house or soul around for miles when the two of us are up at our spot. Even when we're at First Beach there are usually not very many people around, unlike here, and I've come to really, _really_, like that." Jacob smiled at me as he raised his left hand and reached across his body to tuck a few loose tendrils of hair that had escaped the braid I had once again pulled my hair into that morning.

"Yeah, me too," he said quietly and I laughed quietly before he cupped my cheek in his hand and turned slightly so he could kiss me. I easily returned his kiss as I turned towards him as well and wrapped my arms around his shoulders while he lowered his hand from my face and rested his left hand on my upper waist and then gripped my left hip with his right hand. Slowly, Jacob brought our kiss to an end and sighed as he pressed his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes and smiled as I remained pressed firmly against Jacob's body and raised up on my toes while Jacob wrapped his arms around me.

"Jacob?" I asked in a soft whisper.

"Hmm?" he asked with a content hum and I smiled once again as I opened my eyes and pulled my head back slightly from him so I could look at him. He opened his eyes as well and looked down at me with a small smile on his lips.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about today," I said as I remained locked in his arms.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Our future," I said and his eyebrows raised in obvious surprise. I slid my hands from his back to rest on his broad shoulders as I lowered myself back down so I was standing flat footed as I looked at him.

"Our future?" he asked and I nodded my head. "Okay," he said slowly with a slightly furrowed brow. "What about it?"

"Well, I've been thinking about things a lot lately," I said. "I know that patrolling and keeping everyone safe is your main job right now, but that's not always going to be the case because things are calming down and it doesn't exactly pay in a monetary sense." Jacob nodded, but his brow was still furrowed and I knew I really needed to get to the point. "Since you don't really have any intention of going back to school right now that you could get your GED, and once you have that you could go to vocational school and get certified."

"Certified for what?" he asked.

"To be a mechanic," I said and he blinked at me in surprise. "Cars are your passion, Jacob, and I know it is something that you'd be great at. I've done a little research and you need to get an Automotive Service Excellence certification, and with all that you know already you won't have any problems getting that.

"There's only one auto shop in our area and it can take weeks for people to get their cars back; they'd probably hire you in a second because everyone knows how good you are already. I've been thinking about taking some business and accounting courses at the community college in Port Angeles and once I'm done there we can look into opening our own shop that we can work together. You handling the cars and all that stuff and me handling the business end of things."

"You want to open an auto shop?" he asked, his voice soft and laced with surprise as he looked down at me.

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "It'll probably be a handful of years before we'll be able to do it because we've got to create a business plan and get a loan to start the business, which I'll be able to provide a good down payment for without too much trouble. Then we need find the right location, get the equipment and tools you'll need, and-," I made to continue but I didn't get to. Jacob had silenced me by roughly kissing me and catching me completely off guard. However, after a second I was kissing him back with my right hand going into his short hair while my left hand gripped his shoulder as I once again went up on my toes since he had pulled me even tighter to his body.

"Do you really want to do that, Rory?" he asked me, his voice quiet and husky and sending shivers down my spine despite his heat and the warm air around us.

"Yes," I said as my blue eyes held his brown and he smiled. He was taking my idea far better than I thought he would. I wasn't sure why, but I had been expecting him to fight me on the idea; however, I was never more happy to be wrong before in my entire life. He kissed me again as he lifted me from the ground and spun me around twice, which caused me to break our kiss and laugh before he settled me back down on the ground and looked at me. "I'm going to guess and say that you like the idea?" I asked with a smile and Jacob chuckled.

"Yeah, Aurora, I like the idea," he said before he gripped my hips and leaned in to kiss me yet again. However, my stomach decided to make its presence known then as it growled so loudly that I was sure Jacob would have been able to hear it even without his advanced hearing. He chuckled once more before he placed a chaste kiss on my lips and let go of me, took a half a step back, and then took hold of my right hand in his left. "So, is there a good place to eat around here?" he asked and I laughed as I nodded.

"Several places actually, but I know the best place that's not too far from here," I said and he smiled at me.

"Lead the way, baby," he said and I smiled at him before the two of us made our way down the path and to one of my favorite seafood spots.

* * *

The rest of Friday had gone smoothly and Jacob was all for looking into getting his GED and checking out where he could take some vocational classes to get his certification. He was excited and I was excited right along with him because we were making plans for the future and it gave me something to look forward to. Just like Thursday night I had snuck into Jacob's room to sleep, however, unlike Thursday night I hadn't slept much at all on Friday night.

I had laid awake most of the night, sleeping no more than a couple of hours as I laid curled up against Jacob and watched the curtains flutter with the breeze blowing through the open window and screen. We'd opened the window that night because it was a cool night and Jacob didn't want to risk me overheating again like I had on Thursday. Since I hadn't moved from his side, I hadn't woken Jacob up and I was glad for it because he would have wanted to talk and I really wasn't up for it that night. We'd done a lot of talking throughout the day and I was more than content to just let him hold me without all the questions.

At six I had kissed his jaw, which caused him to tighten his arm around my waist before he took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at me sleepily and I smiled at him before I pulled back from him and sat up, supporting my weight on my left hand on the bed. There wasn't much light in the room, barely any really since the sun was only just making its way over the horizon, but I could make out enough of Jacob to see his face without too much trouble.

"Morning," I whispered and his hand, which was now settled on my right hip tightened as he looked up at me with sleep filled eyes.

"Morning," he murmured huskily and my smile grew a little as he raised his left hand and rubbed at his eyes before he ran his hand down his face. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked, knowing that it was far too early to be awake on a Saturday, and I shrugged my right shoulder. "You didn't sleep did you?" he asked with a heavy sigh and I should have known better than to think that he wouldn't notice that I had had a rough night.

"Not really," I admitted. He took a deep breath before he slowly let it out and sat up with a pointed look on his face. "Don't start with me, Jacob Black, I'm fine." His right arm was still wrapped securely around me and he raised his left hand the right side of my face before he ran his slightly rough thumb across my cheek. I sighed softly that time around before I raised my right hand to wrap around his left wrist as I held his gaze in the dim lighting of the room.

"You sure about that?" he asked quietly and I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm just anxious."

"It's going to be okay, you know," he said softly. "Melody and Gina are going to be there with you, and you know I'm not letting you go there without me. You're not alone, Aurora."

"I know I'm not, Jacob, and I imagine that I would be an even bigger nervous wreck if I was," I said before I leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "I think I'm going to go downstairs into the gym and run a little while on the treadmill to try and burn some energy before everyone else gets up."

"I'll come with you. I could use a workout," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"You could eat an entire gallon of chocolate fudge ice cream and not gain a pound, Jacob," I said. "You don't _need_ to work out thanks to your supernatural genetic makeup, which I hate you for by the way." I was trying to be lighthearted and lesson the dark mood that had settled over us that morning, and Jacob humored me with a soft chuckle.

"Sure you do," he said and I smiled at him before I kissed him once more. "Are you sure you don't want some company?"

"I'm sure," I said. "I need a little time to myself so I can think, okay?"

"All right, but all you need to do is whisper my name and I'm there."

"I know because you always are, Jacob. No matter what you are always there for me, and I love you," I said and he smiled before he kissed me and slowly let me go.

"I love you too," he said quietly and I kissed his chin before I climbed from the bed and quietly left Jacob's room, tiptoeing my way over to Melody's, and sneaking into her room.

Melody was sound asleep as I went over to my suitcase, grabbed my sneakers, socks, sports bra, and a tank top from inside. I went into the bathroom, changed, and then pulled my hair up into a messy bun on the back of my head. I didn't put my tennis shoes on yet, but I grabbed them from the floor before I headed downstairs. I walked down the foyer hall to the basement door and then made my way downstairs into the home gym that Karen and Will had set up in their basement. Once there I turned on the lights, sat down on the weight bench, tied on my tennis shoes, and walked over to the treadmill.

I turned it on and started running, my mind going in a million different directions as my feet hit the moving belt below me in a steady and fast rhythm. I was running about as fast as I could on the treadmill and it wasn't long before I was sweating, panting, and my legs were starting to burn. However, I didn't stop. I just kept running because I was all for feeling the physical pain rather than the emotional pain that was on the surface and ready to finally break through the internal shield I had erected weeks ago. I felt like wanted to cry, but I was determined to hold everything in until I got to the cemetery where it would make sense to have a total breakdown.

My thighs were full on burning and my calves were starting to cramp up a bit, but I still didn't stop. I just kept running and running and running. I didn't stop until I felt a hot arm around my waist and was pulled off the still turned on treadmill like I weighed nothing. It was then that I realized I _was_ crying and I turned into Jacob's bare chest as he reached out and turned off the treadmill before he wrapped his other arm around me and supported my weight since my legs were numb and shaking like mad as I stood there crying into his chest.

"It's all right, baby," he whispered into my hair as he placed a kiss on the crown of my head. "It's okay." I weakly grabbed at Jacob's waist as he kissed the top of my head once again and moved his right hand to the back of my head, resting his hand underneath my messy bun.

"I'm sorry," I whispered against his chest when I finally got my tears under control, but Jacob just ran his left hand up and down my back.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Aurora, and I knew this was going to happen sooner or later," he said gently before he moved his head and kissed my temple. "You've been holding it in for a long time, and I'm surprised you've lasted this long." I didn't say anything in response, I just kissed his chest in a way to thank him, and Jacob picked me up then and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He carried me across the room and up the stairs where to my great surprise Karen, Will, and Melody were standing in the foyer. They were all still in the pajamas; Karen with her robe on, Will with his graying light brown hair sticking up in various directions, and Melody with a case of bed head that was rivaling her dad's. Karen was tucked into Will's side and she and Melody both had tears in their eyes and trails of tears on their cheeks, while Will looked at me with concern etched heavily in his face. My already flushed face darkened a bit when I realized that I had been far louder than I realized.

"I woke everyone up?" I asked, my voice hoarse, and I turned my eyes to Jacob as I lowered my right hand from behind Jacob's neck to my stomach.

"You were sobbing, Rory," Jacob said, his voice tight as his fingers dug into my flesh a little more. "Gut retching sobs," he added quietly, his own worry shining brightly in his dark eyes as he looked down at me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize," I said, but Karen moved away from Will and put her hands on my right arm.

"Don't apologize, Aurora," Karen said as she shook her head. "We needed to get up pretty soon anyway," she added with a warm smile as she took my right hand into both of hers. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," I answered honestly, "but I will be." Karen gave me a watery eyed smiled before she squeezed my hand, let go of it, and nodded her head.

"Good," she said softly before she returned to Will's side and he was quick to put his arm around her back. "Well, since we're all up and about I'm going to whip up a big breakfast for everyone. Does waffles, bacon, and the works sound good to everyone?" she asked, her voice cheery and light as she tried to turn the dark mood that settled around the house. Melody worried her lower lip as she looked at me, and I took a deep breath as I looked at Karen with a small smile.

"Sounds great actually," I said. "I'm starving, so, you might want to make enough for a small army," I added knowing that Jacob had been holding back during meals, and he deserved a good breakfast for what he was likely to put up with later today.

"That I can do," Karen said firmly before she took Will's hand into hers. "Will you give me a hand, Will?" she asked and he nodded as he smiled at her before he followed her into the kitchen, both glancing back at Jacob and me once as they disappeared into the other room.

"I'm going to take her upstairs and get her in the shower," Jacob said quietly as he looked at Melody. "Do you think you could keep your parents occupied so they don't wonder where I am?"

"Yeah," Melody said as she nodded. "Don't worry about them. You just take care of her." Jacob nodded and turned towards the stairs while Melody went into the kitchen. Jacob carried me upstairs. When we got upstairs Jacob walked straight into the bathroom, not bothering to put me down until he gently closed the bathroom door with his foot, turned the light on with his elbow, and walked over to the stone shower. However, even when he had me settled on my feet he kept his hand on my waist and turned the water on with his other hand.

With the water on and the curtain closed he turned his attention to me and started undressing me. I didn't fight him, I just stepped out of my tennis shoes and helped him take off my clothes and pulled my hair out of the messy bun. Jacob kicked my clothes and shoes to the side while I removed my bracelet and sat it on the counter, and his hands ghosted across the skin of my waist and I shivered at the feeling.

"Join me," I whispered as I looked up at him and he licked his lips and shook his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said quietly as he shook his head and let go of my waist. "You should just take a shower and I'll go and get you some clean clothes."

"Please, Jacob," I whispered, my voice breaking slightly as I reached out, gripped his hips, and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I . . . I just need to feel something other this hole in my chest and you're the only one that makes it not hurt. Please, Jacob, help me forget for just a little while longer." He said nothing as he looked down at me, his eyes dancing across my desperate face, and he raised his hands to my face before he kissed me softly. As he kissed me, I pushed at the waistband of his sweatpants and he broke the kiss long enough to take them and his underwear off completely before he pulled me into the shower with him.

I made to reach for him and pull him close, but Jacob turned me around and gently urged me under the spray of the warm water. I followed his lead and let him wash my hair before he started washing down my body. My heart was racing and warmth was spreading through my body, but not from the warm water hitting my skin. It was from Jacob's gentle hot touch against my skin and it wasn't until he was finished and I was clean that he gave into my earlier request and kissed me gently as he pressed me against the cool shower wall.

I threw my arms around his shoulders as I easily kissed him back before I wrapped my aching right leg around his left hip, pressing my hips into his. He groaned/growled quietly into our kiss before his right hand reached down and picked up my left leg, wrapping it around his hips as well before I locked my ankles over his butt. His hand slipped between our wet bodies and his fingers gently rubbed against my already wet and aching center. I whimpered at the touch as I kissed him, and he withdrew his fingers from me before I felt him line himself up against me.

He sank into me with ease and I gasped, breaking our kiss as I tilted my head back against the wall while he buried his face in my neck and kissed his way up my neck and along my jaw. I laced my fingers into his hair as he started to slowly move in and out of me, his hands grasped my butt and held my flesh in his hands and I whimpered quietly once more before I pulled his face to mine and kissed him roughly.

"Harder," I breathed against his mouth as I opened my eyes and looked into Jacob's dark gaze. "Harder, Jacob, please," I said and he kissed me briefly before he pressed his forehead to mine and increased the pace and force of his thrusts against me.

Aside from the running water the only sounds in the room around us was our gasping, panting breaths and the noise of our bodies slamming together. I pulled at his hair and scraped my nails across his back as the tight coil in my lower abdomen finally broke and Jacob silenced my cry with a hard kiss as he continued to move his hips against mine. I came again as Jacob also tumbled over the edge and growled, breaking our kiss as he buried his face in my neck again. I started crying again, but it was only a few tears, as I clung to him and kissed his shoulder, his neck, and any part of him my lips could reach as he held me. He lifted his head from my neck and kissed me softly before he pulled back slightly and looked at me.

"Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?" he asked and I shook my head as I kissed him.

"No, you didn't hurt me, and I'm not crying anymore," I said. He didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but it was the truth and thankfully he let it go. "Thank you," I whispered before I kissed him again, that time lingering a bit longer. Jacob returned my kiss as he slowly untangled our bodies and settled my feet back onto the floor of the shower. He broke our kiss with a soft sigh before he turned off the water and ran his hands up and down my arms.

"I'm going to get dressed quick and grab you some clothes," he said. "Is there anything special you want to wear today?"

"Whatever you grab is fine," I said as I shook my head and he nodded before he kissed my forehead, then my temple, and lastly my lips.

"I love you, Aurora," he said quietly and I managed a small smile as I looked up at him.

"I love you too, Jacob," I said back and he kissed me once more before he finally climbed out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the built in shelf in the bathroom and held it out to me. I took it from him, my small smile still in place, and thanked him. He pulled on his sweatpants then and gathered up my discarded clothes, my tennis shoes, and his underwear. He gave me a long look before he left then, leaving me on my own for a few minutes while he got dressed and gathered my clothes for the day. I took a deep breath and climbed out of the shower. It was going to be a long day, but with Jacob and my friends at my side I would make it through.


	40. Chapter 40

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm glad you all liked the last chapter and that you enjoy this one as well. If any of my readers are moms, a very special happy mother's day to you. I hope it's a good one for you all! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty**

Gina had driven us to the cemetery in her Dad's CRV and we were presently parked on the narrow road that wound its way through the cemetery. My mom was buried about forty feet to my left from where I sat behind the driver's seat with Jacob sitting on my right and holding my hand tightly in his. I stared out the window at the various tombstones and took a deep breath as my eyes easily landed on the dark stone that bore my mother's name. It stood out like a sore thumb to my eyes and for a brief moment it looked like the sun was shining only on that tombstone.

"We can all go together," Melody said from where she sat in the front passenger seat and I looked away from the window and at her. "You don't have to go alone." During the drive to the cemetery I had said that I wanted to be alone at first, and all three of them had hesitantly agreed with Jacob being the most reluctant to agree but he did, scowling slightly as he nodded his head.

"I know," I said, "but I want to be along with her for a little while."

"Are you sure?" Jacob asked and I looked at him.

"I'm sure," I said as I squeezed his hand and held his dark gaze. "Just give me ten or fifteen minutes to myself and then you guys can come." Jacob gave me a tight lipped smile as he let out a quiet sigh and nodded his head a slightly. "But, if I look like I'm having a breakdown or something, you can come to my rescue," I whispered so only he would hear me. But my attempted joke fell flat because Jacob's eyes darkened before he nodded again and leaned over to me and kissed my temple. I sighed quietly before I let go of Jacob's hand and picked up the four sunflowers, Mom's favorite flower, from my lap. I climbed from the car, crossed the narrow road and headed right for my mother's resting place.

My hands started shaking and I tried not to crush the flowers in my hands as I walked. My stomach was doing summersaults and twisted into knots the closer I got to her resting place. I took a deep breath through my nose and licked my lips nervously when I reached the stone and slowly walked around it. A few tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked down, however, I managed to smile softly before I kneeled down onto the grass in front of and just to the left of my mom's tombstone. I sat back on my heels and let out a soft sigh as I reached out with my left hand and gently brushed my fingers over her engraved letters and numbers: 'Elizabeth Ann Bishop; June 14, 1968 to October 21, 2006.'

A strange sense of calm washed over me as I sat there with my fingers resting on the 'p' of my mom's last name. It was strange because it was the same sensation that I usually felt when Jasper was nearby and used his special ability to calm me down when I was upset, stressed, or angry. However, I was well aware that Jasper was hundreds of miles away and there was no reason to feel that sense of calm and peace; but when a gentle and unexpected breeze hit my damp cheeks and rustled my loose hair around my shoulders I allowed myself to believe in yet another form of the supernatural. I was convinced that it was my mom, that she was there with me, and my smile became a little less sad and my stomach wasn't as knotted as it had been.

"Hi Mom," I said as I lowered my hand to my lap and took hold of the flowers in both my hands. "I brought you some sunflowers," I said before I laid them down on the small ledge of her tombstone and sat back fully, my hands resting on my thighs. "I'm sorry I've never come to visit before today, but it was too hard to come at first and then for the last five, almost six, months I've been living up in Forks Washington. Social services tracked down your cousin Charlie up there and he took me in, no questions asked." The breeze was back and just like before it didn't last long, but it still made me smile slightly.

"I don't know if you remember him, but he's been great. He treats me just like I'm his own daughter; he and his girlfriend even got me a used, but safe, car for my birthday so I can get around on my own. Charlie also has a daughter with his ex-wife, Renee. Her name is Bella and she's married with a little girl that's seriously one of the prettiest little girls you'd ever see. I've made a lot of friends up in Forks, Mom, and I'm sure you'd like most if not all of them. I've also got a boyfriend," I added quietly and the breeze came back, a little harder than before and I laughed quietly.

"I know, I can't believe it either," I said as I wiped at my cheeks and the few tears that had fallen as I talked to my mom. I sniffed quietly before I tucked my hair behind my ears and then looked down at my hands in my lap while I toyed with my bracelet. "His name is Jacob," I said as I looked at her stone once more and laced my fingers together in my lap, "and he's . . . Mom, he's amazing. He's sweet and smart and absolutely beautiful. He's the perfect cliché of tall, dark, and handsome; and you'd give me a high five if you saw him," I said with a pause and light laugh before I shook my head. "You would not believe how much he loves me, Mom, and he treats me so well. I love him so much that at first it was kind of scary, but I can't imagine my life without him in it now.

"I know you'd probably lecture me about moving too fast and warn me against a broken heart because we're so young and all of that, but it's different with Jacob because he's . . . he's special." I paused, tempted to spill Jacob's secret to her, but I held it back and simply ran my fingers through my hair as I sighed softly. "He's helped me deal with a lot of things since I met him, and I'm . . . I'm pretty sure that I'm _mentally_ okay because of him. I was a mess inside when I met him, Mom, and in a way he fixed me. I wish you were here so you could meet him," I admitted as tears once again started falling and my voice broke slightly.

It had been surprisingly easy to talk to her at first, but now as I started to talk about Jacob it was much harder because it was perfectly clear to me now that she wasn't there for me to gush about Jacob like I wanted to. She wasn't going to be there to help me get ready for prom this spring. She wasn't going to be there to help me plan my wedding or walk me down the aisle when that day came like we always used to joke about her doing. She wasn't going to be there when I had my first baby nor was she going to be there to tell me I wasn't going crazy and I wasn't doing anything wrong during those first sleepless couple of months after the baby came.

"Damn it, Mom, I just wish you were _here,_" I said, nearly shouting that last word as I glared at the stone in front of me and curled my hands into fists on my thighs. "I didn't mean anything I said to you that night when we fought in the car, I really didn't. I didn't want you to . . . I didn't want you to die, Mom. I was angry because you didn't believe me when I was telling you the truth about that creep. I'd never lied to you before and I wasn't lying to you then. I was hurt that you didn't believe me.

"Why didn't you just believe me?" I sniffed and wiped at my running nose as I took a deep shaky breath. "I miss you so much, Mom, and I'm sorry that I got out of the car that night. I'm sorry that I said all those things to you. I'm sorry that you died because of me," I said as my tears fell harder and I raised my left hand to rest my palm flat against the her name a I bowed my head. "I'm so sorry," I choked out before I was once again full on sobbing as I brought my right hand to the tombstone and leaned against it fully. The breeze was back as my hair fell over my shoulders, creating a shaking curtain around me as I cried. However, I wasn't alone for much longer because just like this morning Jacob was there.

His impossibly warm hands were on my waist and he lifted me from the ground before he turned me into his chest as he wrapped me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him in return, grasping at the back of his dark green t-shirt as I cried. His right hand moved to the back of my head while his left arm remained secure around my back, pinning me to his body, and he kissed the top of my head. It was pretty much a repeat of this morning as he softly assured me that it was okay, and that he was there. His words that time around, however, only made me cry harder for some reason and his arms tightened around me. Jacob just let me cry into his chest and said nothing as he held me close. I gripped at his shoulder blades and it was likely that if Jacob was a regular guy my nails digging into his back would be causing him some serious pain, but thankfully Jacob wasn't a regular guy in both the physical and emotional sense.

"It wasn't your fault, baby," Jacob whispered into my ear as my tears finally started to quiet and my body stopped shaking against his. "She wouldn't blame you." I took in another shaky breath before I sighed heavily and turned my face into his now wet t-shit a little more. I just breathed him in, letting Jacob's familiar scent and warmth surround me and slowly put me at ease. Jacob's arms loosened around me and he once again kissed the top of my head before I lifted my head and looked up at him. He brought his right hand to the left side of my face, pushed my hair from my face, and then ran his thumb along my cheek. "She wouldn't," he assured me again and I sniffed quietly, my nose already painfully stuffed, and I nodded my head knowing he was right. After all, he said the same thing to me months earlier when I told him about how my mom died. I believed him then and I believed him now.

"I know, but I never told her I was sorry and I needed to. I needed to say it so she knows and so I can let go," I said quietly, my blue eyes locked with his brown. Jacob kissed my forehead, his warm lips lingering on my skin, and once again that familiar calming and peaceful feeling wrapped around me as the gentle breeze returned. I smiled a sad smile as a few more tears rolled down my cheeks because I once again felt like it was my mom letting me know she was there and that it was okay and I was forgiven. After a few quiet beats Jacob pulled his lips from my skin and his arms left me as he took a step back from me. At first, I was confused as to why he stepped away, but a second later I understood why because him moving away from me allowed Gina and Melody to move in.

My friends threw their arms around me at the same time, Melody first and then Gina hugging the two of us. I couldn't help but let out a wet sounding quiet laugh as I _tried_ to hug my friends back and failed since my arms were pinned. I fought against more tears that threatened to start falling all over again and they were both sniffling and I knew that they too were crying, but their tears weren't only for me. While I had been the one to lose my mom, Melody and Gina had lost a friend; which meant that even though their loss wasn't as great as mine it was close because they both had loved my mom as much as I love their moms.

"I'm okay, guys," I said thickly, my voice scratchy from my sobs. Surprisingly, I really was okay now that I had finally gotten to say what I had been holding inside for so long. Now that the words were out it truly felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, however, the hole in my chest was still there and likely would be until I had spent some time with Jacob and returned to Forks where the memories weren't able to poke at the still tender healing spots of my heart. The girls slowly untangled themselves from around me, however, Melody took hold of my left hand and Gina my right as both of them wiped at their faces with their free hands.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Gina asked and I nodded as I looked at her with a soft sigh.

"Yeah," I said softly. "I'm okay." They shared a look before both of them hugged me again and I smiled since once again my arms were pinned to my sides. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes and enjoyed my friends' embrace for several beats before they once again slowly pulled away from me. "Go on, I know you guys want to talk to her too," I said and they gave me teary eyed smiles as they nodded. Gina and Melody moved to my mom's tombstone while I moved over to stand with Jacob, who easily wrapped his right arm around my back as I tucked myself into his side.

I closed my eyes as I wrapped my left arm around his lower back, rested my head on his chest, and my right hand on his stomach. I tuned out everything else around me, including Gina and Melody as they took a few minutes to talk to my mom, and I focused on the sound of Jacob's heartbeat under my left ear to sooth me. I had a headache from all the crying I'd been doing that day and I just felt emotionally and physically exhausted. Jacob's grip on my hip tightened slightly as he kissed my head and raised his left hand to cover my right that rested on his stomach. I opened my eyes and lifted my head slightly to look up at him. His eyes held nothing but concern as they met mine, and I managed to give him a small smile.

"Don't worry, Jacob," I whispered. "I really am okay." He raised his left hand to my face and ran his fingers along my jaw before he leaned into me and pressed his lips chastely to mine. The kiss wasn't long, barely a second, and when he pulled away I once again rested my head against his chest as I turned my eyes to Gina and Melody who were still quietly talking to my mom. Jacob's left hand had left my face and now rested on my right shoulder as he kept me close to his side. Gina and Melody turned around to look at Jacob and I, both of them wiping at their eyes as they took deep breaths and sighed quietly.

"Are you ready to go, Aurora?" Melody asked quietly and I lifted my head from Jacob's chest to nod. Jacob unwrapped his arms from around me and took my left hand into his right before the four of us started walking to the car.

I said a silent good-bye to my mom as we walked and took a shaky breath in before I slowly let it out. I knew that this was the last time I would be in San Diego for a really long time and it was the last time I would visit my mom's grave for just as long. Why I felt like that I couldn't exactly say for sure, but I just knew it was and while part of me was sad at the idea I knew that the next time I did come it would be far easier and not so many tears would be shed.

* * *

"You should get some sleep," Jacob said, his voice heavy with sleep as we laid together on his bed in the guest room. When we'd gotten back from the cemetery I had taken a nap since I had barely been able to keep my head up anymore. I hadn't slept long, barely an hour and a half, and after a nice dinner a night of distracting conversations with Will, Karen, Melody, and Gina, we'd all gone to bed. However, after sneaking into Jacob's room at a little before eleven I hadn't been able to fall asleep. It was one-thirty in the morning and sadly me being awake was keeping Jacob awake this time around, and we had to be at the airport by seven for our eight-thirty flight to Seattle.

"I know. I'm sorry," I said quietly before I pulled away from him and sat up. "I'm trying, but it just can't get my brain to turn off. Maybe I should go downstairs and try watching TV or something." I started to scoot away to climb off the bed, but the light was suddenly turned on and Jacob's arm was wrapped around my waist. He pulled me to him, my back pressed tightly to his chest, and it was obvious that he had no intentions of letting me go.

"You're not going anywhere," he said, his warm breath washing over the left side of my exposed neck and making goose bumps race across my skin that was exposed by the tank top I had elected to wear that night. I raised my hands to rest on Jacob's strong forearm as I closed my eyes. "What do you need me to do, baby, to help you relax? Name it and I'll do it."

"You don't have to do anything, Jacob," I said as I opened my eyes and looked over my left shoulder at him. "I want you to get some sleep, and me being restless and lying next to you isn't going to let you."

"I won't get any sleep at all without you here anyway, so, you're staying put," Jacob said as he shook his head. I sighed quietly as I turned my head away only to have Jacob shift and lay me back on the bed with his body hovering over mine. My heart leapt in my chest as I looked up at him and he gave me a small smile. "Are you still thinking about what happened earlier today?" he asked after a beat and I shook my head.

"No," I said. "I really meant it when I said I was okay at the cemetery. I feel much better than I had before we went and much more at ease with everything. I think I've finally managed to let go and while I know I will always miss her, she'll always be with me."

"She better not be here right now because if she is, I really don't want her haunting me for taking advantage of her little girl," he teased, trying to get me laugh, and it worked because I chuckled as I rolled my eyes.

"I didn't mean it literally, Jacob," I said lightly.

"So, if you're okay, why can't you sleep?" he asked.

"I don't know, but it's like I said, I can't get my brain to turn off. I feel anxious for some reason and I just can't relax enough to fall asleep."

"I can help you relax," he said and I raised an eyebrow.

"How?" I asked and he grinned.

"Let me show you," Jacob said before I felt his knee nudge my legs apart. My heart leapt once again before it started full on racing in my chest as I looked up at him. This morning our love making had been out of desperation on my part on needing to feel something other than the emotional pain that had gripped me like iron, and while it had been more than pleasurable the moment between us had been slightly tainted by that pain. However, that night was definitely different than that morning because I hadn't been lying when I said that I felt better than I had that morning; and other than feeling a little anxious I pretty much felt like my old self again. That meant that I was fully aware of Karen and Will being down the hallway, Melody being across the hall, and the fact that we were not in my house or Jacob's.

"Jacob, I don't know if we sh-," I started, but he cut me off with a heated and tender kiss that made my insides turn to mush and my brain go blank. His soft and warm lips left mine and trailed down my jaw and neck before they ghosted across my collarbone and exposed skin of my chest while his hands pulled at my cotton shorts and underwear. He kissed his way down my body, the heat of his lips easily seeping through the thin fabric of my tank top.

Like usual, Jacob's touch and kisses knocked me stupid and I really had no idea how he managed it but he completely freed me of my shorts and underwear without any help from me before his hands slid up my legs and parted them as he rested them on his shoulders. My hands gripped at the sheet beneath me as Jacob's mouth and tongue began working their magic, and I could do nothing but succumb to him. I whimpered as I raised my right hand and laced my fingers in his hair while I bit my lip and arched my back. Jacob's right hand left my hip and slid up my waist, almost tickling my stomach before he roughly grabbed my left breast as he continued to have his way with me.

It wasn't much longer before my world exploded around me and when it did it felt like something snapped in my body and I was more than ready to call it a night. As I came back down and Jacob let my jellified legs fall to the side as he moved up my body and laid at my side before he wrapped his arm around me. I lazily turned into his chest and wrapped my right arm around his waist before I tilted my head up and kissed him. He brought his left hand to my face as he kissed me back, and I didn't mind in the least that I could taste myself on him because I finally felt like I could fall asleep thanks to him.

"Tired now?" he asked when I broke our weak and lazy kiss, and I laughed softly as I nodded my head and looked up at him with hooded eyes. He smiled at me as he ran his thumb along my jaw and I took a slow deep breath.

"Thank you," I said under my breath.

"There's no need to thank me for doing something that I love to do in the first place," he said, his smile turning into a grin and I shook my head.

"That's not what I'm thanking you for; well, not _just _that," I said as I snuggled into him a little more, which made him chuckle softly.

"Then what are you thanking me for?" he asked as he tucked a few loose tendrils of hair behind my right ear before he wrapped his arm around my waist once again, pressing my body even tighter to his. I could feel that he was at full attention, but I was far too tired to reciprocate. However, I'd make it up to him sometime soon.

"For everything you've done for me since the day we met," I said. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off before he could say a word. "I know you heard everything I said to my mom today, and I meant everything I said about you. If it wasn't for you . . . I wouldn't have found myself again and I'd likely still be going through the motions on the outside while being completely broken on the inside. You saved me, Jacob."

"You weren't the only one that was saved that day, Aurora," he said quietly as his left hand returned to cup my face and his gaze turned warm and filled with love. "You saved me too," he whispered, and I knew exactly what he was referring to without him having to say the words.

"So we both saved each other then," I said and Jacob smiled sadly before he ran his thumb along my cheek once more.

"Yeah, we did," he agreed before he leaned into me and kissed my forehead. "Go to sleep, baby, we've got to be up in three hours." I nodded and laid my head against his chest while he turned off the light.

"I love you, Jacob," I whispered once he was settled back on the bed and wrapped his arm around me once again.

"I love you too, Aurora. Always."


	41. Chapter 41

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA again, but work and life was just hectic for the last two weeks and then I hit a big wall of writer's block every single time I tried to sit down and write this chapter out. Nothing was coming out like I wanted to and I'm still not really happy with it, but I wanted to post since it's been two weeks since I updated. I really hope you guys like it but if it's crap, I'll take it down and work on it a little more. I'm not sure what was going on with the site the last time I updated, but I didn't get any notices for your guys' reviews until like a week later and I was a bit too busy to respond to everyone directly. However, I will say thank you so much for your reviews because they were what kept me going and helped me fight through my writer's block and if you leave a signed review for this chapter I'll respond to you. Again, I hope you guys like this chapter and as long as my writer's block stays away I promise not to keep you waiting long for the next chapter. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-One**

It was nice to get back home and back into my usual routine on Monday, even though it was raining buckets when I got to school that morning. Jogging inside and weaving my way through the hallways to my locker, I wasn't really all that surprised that Cora, Derek, Owen, and Lynn waiting for me there. I had texted Cora yesterday, letting her know that Jacob and I had returned from our trip and that I'd fill her in on everything at school. When I had told them about the reason behind my trip Cora and Lynn had hugged me before I had even finished the sentence with Derek and Owen following in their footsteps when the girls had finally let me go.

"How are you?" Cora asked before she bit her lip and I smiled at her as I flipped the hood of my red rain coat from my head.

"I'm okay, Cora. There's no need to handle me with kid gloves," I said and not a second later Cora was launching herself at me and hugging me tightly. Lynn was quick to join in and I couldn't help but laugh softly, which led to the guys chuckling at how the girls had launched themselves at me. My heart had warmed at the action because despite only being friends for not even two months, my new friends cared about me as much as the ones I had had for a long time and I smiled as I hugged them back.

"Crap, now I'm all wet from your raincoat," Cora said when she and Lynn pulled back and I laughed fully right along with the others.

"That' what you get for hugging me before I took it off," I said as I started to unbutton it and Cora mocked glared at me while everyone continued to chuckle.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lynn asked, concern in her brown eyes as she looked at me and I turned my eyes to her with a small smile coming to my face.

"Yeah, I really am. It was a rough weekend, but in the end it turned out okay," I said. "Sure, it still hurts but it'll only get better and I have Jacob, Charlie, and you guys to help me through any rough patches I might hit."

"Of course you have us," Cora said. "Even if your boyfriend and his friends are freakishly tall and scare the crap out of Derek and Owen."

"Hey!" the boys harmonized as us girls laughed at their facial expressions. However, the warning bell ringing brought our morning gathering to an end before Derek, Owen, and Lynn headed off for their first period class. Cora waited for me to quickly change out the things I needed and the things that I didn't from my bag before the two of us headed to our first period class.

"Do the guys really scare Derek and Owen?" I asked curiously and Cora chuckled as she shook her head.

"Not really," Cora admitted, "but your friend Leah kind of makes them nervous; especially Owen." I frowned at that because to me that didn't really make all that much sense to me. Cora and the others had hung out with the guys, Leah, and me together not even a handful of times; and I was pretty sure that outside of a grunt in greeting Leah hadn't said a word to any of them. Maybe that was why Leah made them nervous, but I wanted clarification before I just assumed things.

"Why does Leah make Owen nervous? They haven't even talked since Leah's not really all that socialable," I said and Cora laughed fully as we entered our classroom and headed for our desk.

"He thinks she's hot, and the fact that she's kind of surly makes him nervous to try and talk to her," Cora said as we sat down and I shrugged my raincoat off my shoulders, letting it drape over the back of my chair. "He's pretty sure she'd snap his head off if he said something stupid when he would try and talk to her."

"That is a very likely possibility," I said and Cora chuckled. Our conversation was brought to an abrupt end as our teacher began class and once again I was glad to have a little bit of normalcy and routine back into my life after my eventful weekend. Hopefully, things would go as smoothly from here on out.

* * *

School went as it always did and thankfully the rain had stopped down pouring around lunch and now it was only just a little misty outside, which meant that it would likely start raining again sometime soon. As expected Jacob was waiting for me at the house as I parked my car in the driveway. I smiled at him as I turned off the ignition and Jacob grinned at me as he stood from the porch stairs. I grabbed my bag from the front passenger seat before I climbed out of the car and Jacob met me halfway along the walkway of the house and held out his right to me.

Knowing full well that he wanted to take my hand, I just smiled at him before I placed the strap of my backpack on his palm and quickly scampered away from him and ran the porch steps. Sadly, I didn't even get the house key in the lock when Jacob's strong left arm was wrapped around my waist and my back was pressed solidly against his chest. I let out a surprised squeak as my hands moved to his forearm only to gasp quietly when I felt his warm lips press a soft kiss to the right side of my neck, which was exposed thanks to my hair being pulled up into a messy bun.

"I missed you today," he whispered into my ear, his breath making goose bumps rise on my skin as I repressed a shiver with a soft sigh.

"You saw me this morning," I said breathlessly and he chuckled. The deepness of his laugh and his lips once again pressing to my neck did all sorts of bad things to my body, so, I closed my eyes to try and repress the feelings even though I knew Jacob could easily tell the affect he was having on me.

"We spent nearly every minute of the last four days together, Aurora," he said quietly. "I think I got a little spoiled." He took the keys from the trembling fingers of my right hand before he unlocked the door, pushed it open, and then lifted me up, my hands tightening on his forearm as he carried me inside and closed the door firmly behind us. I heard the lock click into place before the sound of my backpack and keys hitting the floor echoed throughout the silent house.

"Jacob," I gasped out as he quickly spun me around, his hands grasping my hips tightly while my hands landed on his gray t-shirt clad chest. However, I got no more words out other than his name because his mouth on mine stopped me from saying anything else. I whimpered quietly at the fierceness of his kiss as my arms wrapped around his shoulders and I pressed my body to his. Jacob's right hand slid around my hips and gripped my backside while his left trailed up my back and rested on the back of my neck as our kissed deepened.

I wasn't sure how long we stood there kissing like that before his lips left mine and made their way along my jaw and down my neck. I tilted my head to the right to give him better access to the left side of my neck and laced the fingers of my right hand through his short hair as I bit my lower lip. I felt his hands work at my raincoat before the waterproof material joined my backpack and keys on the foyer floor. Jacob bent our bodies slightly as he lifted his lips from my neck and I felt his hands settle on the back of my jean clad thighs before he lifted me from the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our eyes met and his hands settled on my backside before he started walking into the living room. He grinned at me and I finally let go of my lower lip before I kissed him soundly. He kissed me back as we entered the living room and barely a second later he was laying me back on the sofa.

Thankfully, Charlie was working the evening shift at the station that day, so, we didn't have to worry about him walking in on us at that moment. He may have been okay with my relationship with Jacob, but that didn't mean he was okay with _everything_ about it. Plus, I had a feeling that thanks to how into PDA Jacob and I were and given that he spent several nights (or really almost every night) of the week with me he knew that my confession during the conversation that the two of us had several months ago about Jacob and I being safe was now void.

"Jacob," I whispered quietly when he broke our kiss and started to kiss my neck again while his hands tugged at the hem of my sweater. He'd been more than affectionate the last couple of days and I really had no complaints over it, but we had somewhere we needed to be and there really wasn't any time for us to go very far. "Jacob," I said a little louder as my still trembling hands moved from his shoulders to rest on wrists since his hands were now under my sweater as he nipped at my neck. I whimpered quietly as his teeth grazed across the suddenly extremely sensitive skin of my neck before his tongue followed and made me shiver. I wanted to give in to him and his ministrations so bad, but we had plans and since Charlie wouldn't be home until around midnight there was always time for us to continue this later tonight. "Jacob, stop," I said as I pushed at his wrists and he lifted his head faster than I could blink and was looking down at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I took a deep breath to try and get my heart to stop trying to break out of my ribcage before I grinned up at him, my blue eyes meeting his brown.

"Did you forget that we're supposed to be somewhere in an hour?" I asked and he blinked at me and stared at me for a beat before he groaned, closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine.

"Do we have to?" he asked, almost sounding like a whining child, as his forehead remained pressed to mine and I smiled as I too closed my eyes and raised my hands from his wrists to hold his face in my hands. He sighed quietly and lifted his head, which caused me to open my eyes to look up at him.

"I know you don't like going to the Cullens' place, but Seth is there and I really want to see Rose and Renesmee since I haven't seen them in almost two weeks," I said. I'd been too busy between packing and school work to visit the Cullens in the week leading up to our trip to San Diego. Jacob hadn't minded that in the least bit. It didn't matter to him that he had an alliance with them and that they were technically my family, he hated me being around the Cullens because being around them was 'dangerous.' And Jacob didn't like me in dangerous places because he was a _touch _overprotective. "Please Jacob," I whispered as I pouted slightly and he rolled his eyes at me with a small grin playing on his lips before he leaned forward and kissed my nose.

"You know, I only put up with all of them because of Seth and you, Aurora," he said when he pulled back and I ran my thumbs along his cheeks.

"I know," I said, "and I promise that when you bring me home we can finish what you so desperately tried to start just now." He cocked an eyebrow as he looked down at me and I felt his fingers shift slightly on my waist.

"Really?" he asked and despite lying back on the sofa I nodded my head.

"Yes, and I have a lot to make up to you after everything this weekend," I said.

"You don't have to make up for anything," he said and I smiled up at him before I pulled his face down to mine and kissed him softly.

"Yes I do. You have no idea how much having you there for me helped me get through the weekend, Jacob. I'm sure I would have been okay with just Mel and G, but with you there it was surprisingly easier to handle. So, I have a lot to thank you for and words are never going to be enough," I said. He leaned into me and kissed me once again, but before he could pull away I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. The kiss grew harder, almost desperate, as I arched my back and pressed my chest to his. Jacob growled softly into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me up from where I laid back on the sofa.

Our kiss didn't break as Jacob moved so he was now sitting back on the sofa with me straddling his lap. Both of my hands buried themselves into his hair while his hands gripped my jean-clad hips, his fingers digging into my flesh through my clothes. He growled again when I rolled my hips against his before he roughly tore his lips from mine and rested the back of his head, and my hands, against the back of the sofa.

"I thought we needed to be somewhere in an hour," he said as he looked at me with hooded eyes and a grin on his now slightly swollen lips. I smirked at him in return and shrugged my shoulders before I slid my hands from behind his head so they were resting on his solid chest, and I could feel his rapidly beating heart under the palms of my hands.

"We do," I said before I kissed his left cheek and climbed off of him. My legs were a little shaky as I stood and tugged at the hem of my sweater before I gestured towards the stairs. "I'm just going to go change and then you can drive my car if you want," I said and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at me.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" he asked and I blushed lightly as I put my hands on my hips and fixed him with a slight glare.

"You know _exactly_ why I need to change my clothes," I said and he chuckled as he held up his hands in defeat before rested them on his thighs and looked up at me. I lowered my hands with a huff before I turned on the balls of my feet before I went into the foyer and jogged up the stairs to my room, leaving a still laughing Jacob behind.

* * *

"Hey Aurora!" Seth called as I climbed out of the passenger side of my car and I smiled at him when I spotted him jogging down the porch steps of the Cullens' front door. He was at my side a second later and I was engulfed in a warm embrace before I was lifted from the ground and spun gently. I laughed as I wrapped my arms around Seth's shoulders, and he laughed in return before he settled me back on my feet and let me go with a bright smile on his face; but after a beat his smile faltered. "The guys, Leah, and I were all worried about you until Jake phased last night and we saw that you were okay after everything. You are okay, right?" he asked, his hand still settled on my waist as he looked down at me, and I nodded my head as I smiled at him.

"Yeah, Seth, I'm okay," I said and his smile was back on his face and as bright as ever.

"Good," he said with a nod before he glanced over the top of my head and quickly removed his hands from my waist. Seth's hands were quickly replaced by Jacob's as he pulled my back against his chest and I rolled my eyes because I knew that Jacob was likely glaring at Seth.

"Quit glaring at Seth, Jacob, you know as well as I do that Seth wasn't trying anything," I said before I playfully smacked at Jacob's hands before I stepped out of his grip, took Seth by the arm, and started walking towards the house. Seth chuckled as we walked along before he spared a glance over his shoulder and then looked down at me once again.

"You know, he's likely going to make me run extra patrols now," Seth said and I laughed quietly before I shook my head as Seth opened the door for me.

"Don't worry, I won't let him," I said as I let go of Seth's arm and stepped inside the house only to have strong hot arms pick me up from the floor. "Jacob!" I shouted as he swung me over his left shoulder, but he said nothing as he started for the stairs. Seth, however, was laughing rather loudly as he quickly followed after us; and while my left hand was gripping on to Jacob's right side/t-shirt, I raised my right hand to point at Seth. "I am so not sticking up for you now when he dishes out patrol assignments!" I told him firmly, but Seth just continued to chuckle as Jacob reached the top of the stairs and headed towards where I guess everyone was waiting.

"Hello Jacob, Aurora," I heard Esme say, and even I could hear the laugh the motherly vampire was holding back

"Hi," Jacob said before he put me down, making sure to slide my body down the length of his before my boot clad feet landed on the wooden floor. He grinned down at me while I huffed once more and tugged the hem of my t-shirt and open cardigan before I turned around and smiled at Esme, Carlisle, Bella, Edward, and Renesmee. However, I couldn't help but stare at little Renesmee because she was far bigger than the last time I saw her.

Before she'd just been about the size of a toddler and waddling around, now her hair hung long down her back and she looked to be about three, maybe four. She smiled at me before she rushed over to where I stood with Jacob and Seth, her small hand raised and the whole way and as she came to stand in front of me. I smiled down at her before I squatted to the floor and moved to sit on my knees to that I was nearly eye level with the little girl who quickly closed the distance between us and put her right hand on my left cheek.

Renesmee showed me the 'adventure' that she and Seth had gone on that day with Rosalie and Bella close by, exploring the forest that surrounded the house and traveling along the river. Before she showed me how she was catching snowflakes up in the mountains over the weekend. It was still very weird to actually see the images, thoughts, and questions Renesmee had in my head, but I was getting used to it. Plus, for all her gifts and uniqueness the little girl was very hard not to love. Hell, I was sure it was damn near impossible because she had her father's special vampire charm and when she looked at you with those big brown eyes I swear you melted a little bit inside.

"I wish I could say that my day was as eventful as yours, Ness. The only kind of adventure I had was suffering through a rather boring film in physics," I said lightly and she let out a giggle as she lowered her hand from my face and wrapped her arms around my shoulders to hug me. I heard Jacob nervously shuffle his feet behind me, but I ignored him as I wrapped my arms around Renesmee and hugged her back before I easily lifted her from the floor and settled her on my side. She smiled at me when she pulled back slightly, and I smiled in return before I walked further into the living room.

"It's good to see that you're doing well, Aurora," Carlisle said as he gently rested his hands on Esme's shoulders and smiled at me over her head.

"It was a rough weekend, but I made it through with Jacob's help and my friends," I said honestly while I felt start to play with my necklace, fingering the two charms that rested on the chain.

"If we would have been able to go, we would have gone with you," Bella said and I turned my eyes to my cousin and smiled at her. Since Renesmee's birth and Bella's transformation the two of us had oddly bonded and had become real friends in the end, which was strange but good at the same time.

"I know, but it was sunny and in the eighties all weekend. It would have been impossible to hide the sparkling," I joked, which earned me smiles from the four vampires and scoffed laughs from the shape shifters behind me. A cool hand on my cheek drew my full attention back to the girl in my arms and I smiled as Renesmee's question filled my mind with an image of the charms that rested in the palm of her left hand. "They're charms and they were gifts. The star was from my mom for my sixteenth birthday and the crescent moon was a gift from your Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper for my seventeenth birthday," I said, answering her question while her hand remained on my cheek. However, unlike her question her non-verbalized words surprised me; as did Edward's gentle intake of breath that even I heard.

"What?" Jacob asked quickly, but I just smiled at Renesmee and subtly shook my head to let Edward know that it was okay.

"I would like for you to meet my mom too, but you can't, Ness," I said gently and she tilted her head to the side as she lowered her hand from my face and looked at me curiously as she began playing with the charms using both of her hands. "You can't meet her because a year ago, she had to leave and go to a place where we can't visit with each other. It's too far away, but someday, a _really_ long time from now, I'll see her again; and when I do I'll be sure to tell her all about you and she'll love you as much as all of us do." Renesmee smiled at me then, her tiny white teeth almost sparkling in the light as she let go of my charms and hugged me around the neck once more. I smiled as I hugged her back, and when she pulled away I kissed her cheek and lowered her to the floor. She promptly scuttled over to Edward and looked up at him expectantly.

"We were starting to wonder when you were _finally_ come to visit," Rosalie said, causing me to turn around as she, Emmett, and Jasper made their way into the room. "We'd thought you traded us in for the dogs." Jacob growled quietly, but I gently hit his chest as I laughed before I rushed over to Rosalie and hugged the ice cold vampire. Rosalie laughed in return as she hugged me back before made a choking noise in the back of her throat. "You reek of dog," she teased as we pulled apart and I rolled my eyes as I looked at her.

"Missed you too, Rose," I said, earning a smile from the breathtakingly beautiful blonde. "Hello, Emmett, Jasper. Where's Alice?"

"Arranging some flowers we got when we went shopping this afternoon. She'll be joining us soon," Jasper said and I nodded my head as I smiled at him.

"Aurora," Edward said and I once again turned around to see Edward and Renesmee settled at the baby grand piano that rested in the room with Bella, Carlisle, Esme, and Seth standing on the other side of it. "Renesmee wants to play you and Jacob a song that I taught her." I blinked in surprise, unaware that Renesmee had been having piano lessons and was already able to play a full song.

"Sure. We'd love to hear it," I said before I walked to Jacob and took his hand before we, along with Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper, joined the others at the piano. Jacob moved to stand behind me, his arms wrapping affectionately but protectively around my waist as he once again pulled my back flush to his chest. Renesmee smiled at us and I smiled at her in return as I rested my hands on Jacob's forearms and my head against his shoulder.

Renesmee started to play the piano then, her tiny fingers moving across the keys in a smooth and steady motion. Instead of the choppy and halted notes that one would expect to hear from a child so small the notes were hit flawlessly and seamlessly; like she had been playing for decades like Edward and not only a couple of weeks. Renesmee glanced at Jacob and me with a small smile before she returned her attention to the keys in front of her. However, the sound of glass breaking and a startled gasp stopped Renesmee from playing anymore and everyone's eyes moved to see a fear filled Alice standing just outside the room.

Jasper was at her side in a flash and I straightened my posture while my arms went to my sides and Jacob's hands moved to rest on my hips, his entire body stiff and the faintest of trembles in his muscles that I could barely feel. The tension in the room could have cut with a knife as everyone looked at Alice and Jasper took her hand into his in a comforting fashion.

"What is it, Alice?" he asked quietly, but not quite enough for me not to hear.

"The Volturi. They're coming for us," Alice said and Jacob's fingers dug into my hips once more, and this time the sensation was not as pleasant as it had been earlier that afternoon. "Aro, Caius, Marcus, the Guard, and Irina" Alice said and I blinked.

"Irina?" I asked, completely thrown off by the name of the Cullens' cousin being thrown in to that list. "Why would she be with the Volturi?"

"What did Irina see in the woods?" Edward asked quickly as he looked at Bella and Seth.

"Irina was here?" I asked, my eyes going to Rosalie, who nodded before her attention was back on Bella and Seth.

"We were just walking," Bella said as she shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ness was catching snowflakes," Seth said with a shrug of his own as he looked at Edward with a frown. Understanding seemed to settle on Edward's face then, but I was still confused.

"Of course," he said quietly. "Irina thinks Renesmee's an immortal child." Bella looked just as confused as me, which didn't make me feel so bad and Jacob spoke before I could say anything on the matter.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jacob asked, his voice tight. From that tone and the bruising grip he still had on my hips, I knew he'd gone into alpha mode so it was best to keep my mouth shut for now.

"Follow me and I can explain," Carlisle said and all of us, minus Renesmee and Rosalie (who stayed behind to watch after the little girl) made our way to Carlisle's office.


	42. Chapter 42

So, yeah, is one day a short enough wait for the next chapter? You all have crappy weather that derailed my plans for the rest of my weekend, and the reappearance of my muse to thank for this chapter coming together so fast. :) Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and the new adds to favorites and alerts. I hope you all like this chapter, and as always, please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Two**

I stood there, along Carlisle's impossibly long bookcase and beside Jacob who was holding my hand, and listened to Carlisle talk about just what an immortal child was; and it pretty much was a child that was turned into a vampire. Apparently, turning a child into a vampire was against one of the few laws vampires had because the children were mentally stuck at whatever age they were when they were turned. They had no control and couldn't be taught to control themselves or keep the vampires secret. However, Renesmee was nothing like an immortal child. Sure, she preferred blood to real food but she ate both and hunting was a game for her thanks to Seth who came up with the idea to help Renesmee get accustomed to drinking animal blood rather than human.

"Renesmee's nothing like those children," Bella said and I looked from Carlisle to the back of Bella's head since she was sitting just in front of me with a book open in front of her and across from Carlisle and Esme. "She was born not bitten, and she grows every single day."

"Can't you just explain that to the Volturi?" I asked, drawing everyone's eyes to me.

"Aro has enough proof in Irina's thoughts," Edward said and I looked at him with a frown.

"They have to let you prove her wrong, don't they? You know, the whole 'innocent until proven guilty' thing?" I asked, my heart racing and Jacob squeezing my hand to reassure me that it was going to be okay.

"I'm afraid it doesn't exactly work that way in the vampire justice system, Aurora," Carlisle said with a sad forced smile and I shook my head.

"We have to do something," I said, not really thinking about my words because as a human I was as good as dead in not even a second if I tried to do anything to stop the Volturi from hurting anyone I cared about. "We can't just let them all swoop in and take everyone out."

"We'll fight," Jacob said, completely surprising me, and I looked at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. "Seth's life is connected to Renesmee, and we won't let anything happen to her or to any you," he said, his eyes on Carlisle as he let go of my hand and slid his hand around my back before he tucked me into his side.

"Their offensive weapons are too powerful," Jasper said, pulling everyone's attention to him. "No one can stand against Jane."

"Alec's even worse," Alice added.

"Well then we convince them," Bella said.

"They're coming to kill us, not to talk," Emmett said, sounding far more serious than I had ever heard him sound before in the time that I had known him.

"Emmett's right," Edward said. "They won't listen to us, but maybe others can convince them."

"Others? Like who?" I asked thinking he possibly meant me or the packs, but when Edward looked at me briefly I knew by the look in his eyes that he definitely didn't mean me or the pack. He turned his eyes to Carlisle and spoke again.

"Carlisle, you have friends all around the world," Edward said.

"I won't ask them to fight," Carlisle said as he shook his head.

"Not fight. Witness," Edward said. "If enough people knew the truth, maybe would could convince the Volturi to listen."

"We can ask this of our friends," Esme said as she reached up and put her hand on Carlisle's forearm. He nodded his head as he smiled at her and covered her hand with his.

"We can," he said. "We'll make our travel plans tonight and begin our journeys tomorrow. We've got a lot of ground to cover, friends to meet with, and little time." Taking her arm, Carlisle helped Esme from her chair before everyone slowly started to leave the room, but Edward, Bella, Seth, Jacob, and I remained.

"Bella and I will be driving up to Alaska with Renesmee to speak with Tanya and the others," Edward said as he took Bella's hand and looked at Jacob. "I know that Seth would probably like to come with us to ensure Renesmee's safety. Would you allow him that?" Jacob raised an eyebrow as he looked at Edward before he turned his eyes to Seth and nodded.

"Of course," Jacob said as he looked at Edward once again, "but it's not really me you have to worry about." I frowned at that, but Edward grinned as he slowly turned his attention away from Jacob and to Seth.

"I think it would be best, Seth, if _you_ told your sister about where you'll be going to tomorrow morning," Edward said and I swore Seth paled a little bit before he squared his shoulders and nodded his head.

"I have to tell Mom anyway," Seth said. "I'll run home now, pack a bag, and talk to them since Leah's home with Mom tonight."

"Good luck," I said and Seth gave me a tight lipped smile before he jogged out of the patio doors of Carlisle's office and disappeared into the darkness that had settled outside during our little meeting. "I guess I should head home," I said and Jacob's grip tightened around me, bringing my eyes up to him.

"I'll drive you," he said and I shook my head as I raised my right hand to rest on his chest.

"You need to stay here and talk to Carlisle," I said as I patted Jacob's chest and held his dark gaze. "He's going to have to talk to his friends about _hunting_ arrangements when they start coming, and it's probably better if you work all that out with him now since I doubt that all of Carlisle's friends have a strictly animal diet like they do."

"They don't," Edward said and I looked at him. I gave him a small smile before I looked back up at Jacob and gently pushed myself out his hold, which had thankfully loosened.

"It's not even a fifteen minute drive and I'll call you the second I get inside and lock the door, okay?" I asked and he pursed his lips after he sighed heavily.

"All right," he said after a beat and I smiled at him before I looked at Bella and Edward.

"Don't worry, guys," I said as I reached out and took hold of Bella's left hand in my right. "Nothing is going to happen to Renesmee or any of you. Everything will work out." Bella smiled tightly at me before she let go of Edward's hand and mine before she hugged me. I hugged her back and looked at Edward. _"I'm serious, Edward. Everything will be okay,"_ I thought as I looked at him and Bella pulled back from our hug.

"Once again I find myself wishing for your endless optimism, Aurora," Edward said quietly as he wrapped his left arm around Bella's shoulders.

"I'm pretty good at pep-talks, and since that's the only thing I will be able to do to help in this mess get ready to hear a lot of them," I said, earning a very light chuckle from Edward and a smile from Bella.

"Come on, Rory, I'll walk you out to your car," Jacob said before he took my hand once again and I nodded as I looked up at him with a small smile.

"Bye guys," I said.

"Bye, Aurora," Edward said and Bella waved her left hand at me in silent farewell before Jacob walked me out of Carlisle's office, down the hall, and out the front door. He didn't say a word until we were standing on the driver's side of my car with the lights from the house shining down on us.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, knowing that he was lost somewhere in thought.

"That if Carlisle's friends come, there are going to be a lot of vampires hanging around here; which means that you won't be visiting anymore," Jacob said.

"They can be told I'm off limits, Jacob," I said and before I could blink he had me pinned to the door of my car. His body was covering mine while his arms were on either side of my head so his hands were settled on the roof of my car.

"Not happening, Aurora," he said and I raised my hand to rest just above his hips and on the waistband of his jeans.

"I'm not letting you keep me out of this," I said. "I'm already eyeballs deep involved with everything, and it's not like I'll be here twenty-four seven. I won't come over every day; once a twice a week after school and on Sundays like I always do."

"You're already in danger just _knowing_ about vampires, Aurora," Jacob said. "The Volturi _will kill you_ if they find out about you. I can't . . . I _won't_ let that happen, and I won't let you be in a house full of blood thirsty vampires that I don't know and don't trust."

"Was that your roundabout way of saying you trust the Cullens?" I asked in a whisper, ghosting over the fact that I knew he was right. I was as good as dead if the Volturi found out about me knowing about vampires, and at my question Jacob scoffed and shook his head.

"Of course that would be the one thing you take away from what I said," Jacob said before he sighed heavily and leaned forward slightly to press his forehead against mine. "Yes, I trust them," he admitted and I smiled as I slid my hands up his sides slightly to rest on the lower part of his ribcage, "but I can't trust their friends," he finished as he lifted his head and looked down at me.

"Jacob-," I started, but he didn't let me finish.

"Just look at what one of them, one that they consider family, did without bothering to confirm what she thought she saw. She just went straight to the Volturi knowing that they would slaughter them without bothering to let them explain themselves. What would one that they just consider a friend do to a human they keep in their company?"

"You have to have more faith, Jacob," I said as I grasped his t-shirt in my hands. "If Carlisle considers them friends, they can't be that bad; and Irina . . . Irina is obviously still hurting over Laurent's death and took what she saw as an opportunity for revenge against the Cullens and the pack because Seth was with them in wolf form. She's the exception, not the rule."

"You don't know that," he said as his hands left the roof of my car and moved to gently grasp my upper arms.

"No, I don't know that for sure, but I trust Carlisle and the others. They won't let anything happen to me. Just like you won't," I said, but he didn't seem very satisfied with what I had to say. "Look, we've got time before anyone starts showing up. We'll talk about it more later, okay?" I asked and he sighed quietly before he nodded his head.

"Okay," he agreed before he raised his hands from my arms and took hold of my face. He kissed me then, hard on the mouth, but the kiss didn't last long and he pulled away before I could fully respond or even wrap my arms around him . "Call me when you get home. I don't think I'll be coming by tonight."

"Why not?" I asked, my voice slightly breathy, and Jacob ran his thumbs along my cheeks before he lowered his hands from my face and sighed quietly.

"After I talk to Carlisle, I'm going to have to go and talk to Sam about what's happening and then let Dad in on what's going on since he leads the tribal council," he said and I nodded my head.

"Okay," I said. "Looks like we're going to have to take a reign check on our plans for tonight, huh?" I asked quietly and Jacob sighed before he nodded his head.

"Unfortunately," he said and I smiled at him. Jacob took a step back from me then, which allowed me to step away from my car. I lowered my hands from his sides and he opened the car door before he handed over my keys. He leaned down then and pressed a warm kiss on my cheek. I closed my eyes out of habit and smiled at the feel of his slightly chapped but incredibly warm lips against my smooth cheek. "Love you," he whispered in my left ear and I opened my eyes as he pulled back.

"Love you too," I whispered just as quietly before I climbed into my car and headed home.

* * *

As promised I called Jacob when I got home and after I hung up with him my stomach decided to make its presence known by grumbling loudly. I realized then that after the events of the afternoon/evening I had completely forgotten that I hadn't eaten since lunch that day at school. So, after turning on the TV and lamp in the living room I went into the kitchen. It was only eight o'clock, but I wasn't in the mood for anything fancy. Thankfully, Sue had gone shopping with Charlie on Sunday and had stocked up on groceries. So, I grabbed some deli ham and cheese. A grilled cheese sandwich with some ham sounded like a perfect dinner along with some of the kettle chips I had spotted in the pantry that morning when I fixed my oatmeal.

I was determined to think of anything but what had happened while I had been at the Cullens' place, so, as I put my sandwich together and put the buttered bread into the hot pan I hummed quietly to myself. It was the melody of a song I had heard on the radio on my drive home, and while I didn't know the words since it had been the first time I had heard it but it was keeping my mind busy. When my sandwich was ready to flip, I flipped it and smiled when I saw the golden brown of the one side of the bread. It was a small victory after a rather trying day; so, it made me feel a little better. While the other side of my sandwich browned, I scooted over to the pantry and grabbed the chips before I opened them and took a small bowl and saucer out of the cupboard.

Soon, my grilled cheese and ham sandwich was ready and after cutting it in half I grabbed my plate and bowl of chips before I made my way into the living room. I sat down on the sofa with a sigh before I drew up my legs and crossed them in front of me. I balanced my plate on my left thigh and my bowl on my right before I picked up the remote with my left hand and started flipping through the channels. I had settled on watching the 'Mythbusters' marathon that was on the Discovery Channel that night while I ate my late dinner and did my best to not think about the Volturi and just what their coming to Forks meant.

I finished eating and sat my dishes on the coffee table in front of me before I grabbed one of the throw pillows and laid down on the sofa to continue watching TV. However, I must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I knew Charlie was gently shaking my right shoulder as he stood over me still dressed in his uniform.

"Charlie?" I asked confused as to what he was doing home, and he smiled at me as he righted himself and I rubbed at my eyes tiredly as I sat up. "What are you doing home?"

"Well, since it's ten minutes to midnight I'm home for the night," Charlie said, a small smile still on his face. I blinked at him, which only made Charlie chuckle. "Looks like you fell asleep watching TV," he said and I laughed lightly in return before I ran my hand over the top of my head.

"Yeah, I guess I did," I said before I sighed quietly and stood from the sofa, grabbing my dishes in the process. I intended to take them in the kitchen and wash them along with the pan I had left in the sink when Charlie took them from my hand.

"I'll take care this for you, Aurora," he said. "You go on upstairs, wash up, and go to bed. You've got school tomorrow."

"Thanks, Charlie," I said with a smile. "Good night."

"Night," Charlie said and I headed upstairs. I went into the bathroom first, where I brushed my teeth and washed my face, and then I headed into my bedroom. I turned on my bedroom light and walked over to my dresser. After taking down my hair and running my brush through my long hair and re-braided my hair. With that done, I grabbed some clean underwear and a pair of shorts and one of Jacob's t-shirts out of my dresser to change into.

I had no more tossed my dirty clothes into my hamper and pulled on my clean underwear when an ice cold breeze hit my bare skin. I gasped as I crossed my arms over my chest and quickly turned around towards my window completely surprised to see a shirtless Jacob standing in front of the now open window with his eyebrows raised.

"Jacob," I hissed before I hastily reached for his t-shirt from the footboard of my bed and pulled it on over my head. "I thought you weren't coming over tonight because you needed to talk to Sam and your dad," I said once I was covered and he awkwardly cleared his throat before he shook his head. It wasn't like he hadn't seen me naked at least a thousand times over the last three months, but that didn't mean I didn't have my shy moments. Plus, I was still half asleep since Charlie had only woken me up about ten minutes ago.

"I've already talked to them," he said as he turned away from me and closed the window and I took the opportunity to tug on my white cotton shorts underneath the gray t-shirt. "I just planned on doing a quick run by to make sure you were okay, but I saw your light on. I didn't think you'd be awake."

"I fell asleep watching TV," I said with a soft sigh as I played with the hem of my night shirt while Jacob walked over to me. "Charlie woke me up when he got home a few minutes ago, and I was getting ready for bed when you scared me."

"Sorry," he said with a small smile before he reached out for me and took hold of my upper waist. He pulled me close and I sighed before I rested my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist before I laced my hands together and rested my joined hands against his lower back. Jacob wrapped his arms around me fully and ran his hands soothingly up and down my back.

"Did you get everything arranged?" I asked, my voice muffled by his chest, and he sighed before he kissed the top of my head.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Carlisle said he'll make sure that his friends know that when they come that they need to either change up their diet or go far, _far_, away to _eat_."

"And me?" I asked as I lifted my head.

"What about you?" he asked as he faked a confused expression that made me roll my eyes before I rested my chin against his chest.

"I know you and I know you talked to Carlisle about banning me from the house when his friends do start to arrive. What did Carlisle have to say about that?" I asked and he heaved a heavy breath as he looked down at me.

"That he'd think about it," he said, "but that I shouldn't worry. He said that if he made it clear to his guests that you were not to be harmed, they wouldn't touch you. I'm not buying it though," he said his voice tight once again. I was far too tired to have that conversation then, so, I just lifted my head, kissed his chest and settled my hands on his hips.

"We'll talk about it later," I said, echoing my words from earlier in the evening. "I'm tired and I've got school tomorrow." He sighed again before he started to pull away from me. "Are you leaving?" I asked and he nodded.

"I've got a few things I've got to do yet tonight," he said as he slowly let his hands fall away from me completely and I let go of hips. "Get some sleep, try and have a good day at school tomorrow, and I'll see you afterwards."

"Okay," I said back and just like earlier he raised his hands to my face before he kissed me. However, this time around the kiss was much softer and I was able to return the kiss as my hands raised to rest on his chest. Jacob ended the kiss slowly and when I opened my eyes I smiled up at him. "Good night, Jacob," I whispered and he kissed me chastely before he let his hands fall from my face and he gave me a small smile.

"Good night, Aurora," he whispered and then just as quickly appeared he was gone, leaving nothing but a now open window and my racing heart as any proof that he was there.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Cora asked as we walked to our lockers at the end of school the next day and I smiled at her as I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder as we went.

"Yeah," I said. "Why do you ask?"

"No real reason, you've just been a little off today," Cora said. "Did you and Jacob have a fight or something last night? Please say you did because then I'll know you guys aren't the perfect couple that you appear to be." I couldn't help but laugh at that, and Cora smiled up at me as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, Jacob and I didn't fight last night, but believe me, Cora, Jacob and I are not perfect. We have fought plenty of times over the course of our relationship," I said and Cora chuckled. "I just didn't sleep all that well, but other than that I'm fine."

"Good," she said and I raised an eyebrow in question, which made her roll her eyes. "Not that it's a good thing that you didn't sleep well. I was talking about how it's a good thing that you guys fight. Not that it's good, but really more that it's good to know that you two aren't perfect." I laughed and shook my head as we turned the corner and headed down the hallway to the locker bay where both of our lockers rested. "I'm serious," she said with a smile. "I can only imagine what your guys' babies are going to look like when you have them; and don't even get me started on when they grow up: Amazonian models for girls and Adonis gods for boys. Why are we friends again? I should seriously hate you or something because you are one lucky bitch."

"Love you too, Cora," I said with yet another laugh, and Cora just smiled at me as she shrugged her shoulders.

That right there was one of the many reasons why I was happy to have found a friend in Cora that first day of school because the girl could make me laugh all while making fun of me at the same time. Plus, she was just a little bit crazy, so, she more than fit in in my insane life even though she didn't know a lot of what went on in my life.

"You know," I said as we stopped at her locker first and she glanced at me as she started to put in her combination, "I happen to think that you and Derek would make crazy cute babies," I finished just as she opened her locker and Cora looked up at me. The expression on her face was unreadable, but there was an unmistakable blush on her cheeks. "I'm going to take guess by that blush that you've thought about it too."

"No," she said far too quickly before she started switching out what books she needed that night for ones that she didn't.

"Cora," I said in a teasing way that only made her sigh before she looked at me.

"I thought I was good at hiding that I like him," she said softly, and sounding very much unlike Cora. Strangely enough that tone of her voice reminded me of Gina and how gutted she looked when she talked about Embry; and I had yet to talk to said boy about why he was avoiding Gina like the plague. I made a mental note then to talk to him about it the next time I saw him before I reached out and put a gentle hand on Cora's shoulder.

"You are, and I was just teasing," I said. "I didn't know you like Derek."

"I have since sophomore year, but I'm too deep in the friend zone to say anything," she said before she closed her locker.

"No, you're not," I said with a chuckle as I let go of my hand and she looked up at me with a small frown on her lips. "Cora, Derek _likes_ you too."

"No he doesn't," she said as she shook her head.

"Yes, he does," I said. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like that."

"Has he said something to you?" she asked.

"No, but he doesn't have to," I said. "He watches you all the time when you're in your zone and drawing when we hang out together, and when you smile at him the look that crosses his face is like you just told him that he's won the lottery. Plus, don't you notice all the little things he does for you?"

"Yeah, but I thought . . .," she trailed and I smiled at her.

"You thought what?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said before she ran her hand thorugh hair once more. "That it was just wishful thinking on my part?" she asked more than said and I smiled at her.

"He likes you, Cora, and I'm sure if you ask him out he'll say yes," I said and she bit her lower lip.

"You think?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, but you've got to make sure he knows your serious because might not think you are," I said and she took a deep breath before she nodded her head.

"Oh God, there he is," she asked and I followed her gaze to see Derek heading our way with Owen in tow. "Should I do it now?" she asked and I looked back at her.

"If you want to," I said and she nodded.

"Okay," she said before she handed me her bag and pushed off her locker before she met Derek and Owen in the middle of the hall. However, I certainly wasn't expecting what she did when she reached them.

"Hey Cor-," Derek started, but Cora had reached up, grasped him by the open plaid button up he was wearing and pulled him down towards her before she kissed him square on the lips.

"Holy shit," Owen said as he looked on with a slack jaw and I was pretty sure my expression mirrored his. To his credit, Derek was quick to respond to Cora's sudden attack because he'd dropped his bag to the floor and wrapped his arms around Cora, pretty much lifting her from the floor as he righted himself a bit and kissed her back. Owen slowly made his way over to me as our friends pretty much just made out in the middle of the hallway. "So, did you have something to do with that?" he asked me as he gestured towards the still kissing couple and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I might have figured out that Cora likes Derek and I might have told her that Derek likes her back, but I certainly didn't tell her to go up and kiss him," I said and Owen laughed.

"What did you tell her?" he asked.

"To ask him out and to make sure he knew she was serious," I said and he scoffed.

"Yeah, I think he's going to take her serious whenever she finally detaches herself from his mouth to ask him," Owen said and I smiled at him.

"Hell, what did I miss?" came Lynn's voice from my right as she caught sight of Cora and Derek. I smiled at her and gave her a quick rundown before she laughed quietly and shook her head. "Finally," she said dryly and I laughed with her before I handed Cora's bag to her.

"I've got to get going," I said and Lynn nodded.

"I'll tell Cora to call you later with an update," she said and I smiled.

"Sounds good," I said as I adjusted my backpack. Thankfully, I didn't have to stop at my locker and after saying my good byes, I left the school, headed for my car. However, I was surprised to find Jacob standing at my car with his arms crossed over his chest and a pensive look on his face as he started down at the ground on his feet. Thankfully, he was fully clothed, but I didn't see his bike or any other familiar car nearby. I knew then that he had phased, but had made sure to bring all his clothes rather than just his cut offs. "Hey, I thought I'd find you at the house like usual," I said when I reached him, a smile on my lips, but when he looked up at me my smile vanished. "What happened?" I asked quickly and he sighed heavily.

"Alice and Jasper took off," he said and I blinked at him.

"What do you mean they took off?" I asked.

"They crossed over into La Push, gave Jared a note to pass on to Sam, and asked for him to bring it to Carlisle before they disappeared into the ocean," Jacob said.

"Why?" I asked, tears springing to my eyes at the thought of Alice and Jasper leaving. What did Alice see that made her and Jasper abandon their family like that?

"No one knows, but she at least told us when to expect the Volturi," he said quietly as he reached out and gently took hold of my upper arms.

"When?" I asked as I sniffed quietly and tried to gather my emotions since we were standing out in public with several people looking our way.

"When the snow sticks to the ground," he said.

"That'll be soon," I said quietly and Jacob wrapped his right arm around me and gave me a half hug before he kissed my left temple.

"Let me drive you home," he said and I nodded as I handed over my keys without a word. We climbed into my car and I put my bag at my feet wondering just what was going to happen because with Alice and Jasper taking off like they had things certainly looked a lot bleaker.


	43. Chapter 43

Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds; and I know I've said it a million times over already, but you guys have no idea how happy I am that you guys are enjoying this story. It's sort of taken on a life of its own for me and become this big epic story that has also become my favorite story to sit down and write. Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you all like this chapter, I'm not so sure about it, but please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Three**

Saturday had arrived and there was still no word from Alice or Jasper, but part of me refused to believe that they had abandoned their family; not a time when all their lives were in danger. They wouldn't just up and leave like that without good reason, and I refused to believe that they ran away because death was imminent. If I knew anything about Alice and Jasper, it was that they would do anything to protect their family; and wherever they were they had to be doing something to help us. It was the only thing that made sense to me, and I wouldn't believe anything different unless they were still nowhere to be found the day the Volturi Guard arrived. Only then would I feel the betrayal that the others were feeling as they continued gathering witnesses.

Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme were still traveling; talking to their friends and gathering as many witnesses as possible to face the Volturi when they arrived. The Denali Coven from Alaska had arrived with Bella, Edward, Seth, and Renesmee on Friday and I had gone to the Cullens' house to see them after school. Outside of Irina, they had been nice to me at Bella and Edward's wedding and I liked them even though I didn't really talk to them all that much. Jacob hadn't been thrilled of course, but since they were the only vampires at the Cullens' house presently outside of Edward and Bella he 'allowed' me to visit with Seth and Embry as my bodyguards since he was 'busy.'

We still hadn't had our chat about me visiting as more vampires arrived, but I knew it was a conversation that would arise sooner rather than later because more were coming. He was avoiding it and me by running patrol and coordinating patrol teams with Sam since the other members of the separated packs no longer had a mental link to with each other. When the packs patrolled together they would have to know who else was out there with them since they wouldn't be able to mentally communicate like they used to. It was understandable that they needed to coordinate, but it didn't take them a week do it and Jacob had no reason to be running double or triple patrols like he was. He was only doing it because he thought that if we didn't talk about me visiting the Cullens' place that I would stay away from it. Little did he know that as soon as I had breakfast with Charlie that I would be heading straight over to the Cullens' that morning.

It was still early, so early in fact Charlie was still sound asleep in his bed despite having to be at the station at seven that morning. It was only a little past five in the morning and I had already worked out for the day doing an hour long yoga video so I wouldn't wake Charlie up doing a cardio video and it was raining again and far too chilly outside for me to reason running in the rain and in the dark really. I hadn't been able to sleep lately, my mind was in a million places between the Volturi, wondering where Alice and Jasper were, Jacob avoiding me like the plague, and everything else going on. I had started working out hardcore again since I had all sorts of free time on my hands and hanging out with my 'normal' friends and I was fully healed.

Cora was beyond excited for her date that night with Derek and I would be going over to her house at five with Lynn in tow to help her get ready for her and Derek's big night. Although the date was really a formality since I had caught Derek and Cora making out more than once over the last few days at school and outside of it. They were already a couple, and despite everything that was going on I was very happy for them. Plus, it gave me something else to think about, which was more than welcomed considering all the terrible scenarios that had been filling my head lately about what could happen if the Volturi refused to even listen to the witnesses that the Cullens were able to gather.

After a hot shower to try and relax my tense and exhausted muscles I made my way into my bedroom with my wet, but brushed out, hair falling down my back and wrapped only in a towel since I wasn't worried about running into Charlie. With a sigh I ran my hand over the top of my head before I turned on the light in my bedroom once I stepped into my room and closed my bedroom door behind me. I don't know why I was expecting to find Jacob in my room, but I was incredibly disappointed when he wasn't lounging back on my bed waiting for me like he usually was. However, he was still avoiding me, which meant no surprise arrivals in my room after having stepped out for a minute or waking up in the middle of the night to him joining me in bed after running patrol.

I did my best to push away my disappointment and moved over to my bed to make it and arrange my throw pillows into their proper places. Once that was done I headed over to my closet. I grabbed a black cotton tank top with a lace trim decal before I pulled out a long cardigan that was a bright yellow and had pockets on either side. I normally didn't wear such bright colors and the slightly thick sweater had been an on the whim purchase during a retail therapy trip with Alice and Rosalie back in September. Rosalie had told me she had liked the color on me, but I had debated purchasing it until I saw that it was on sale and thought 'why not' and bought it. After grabbing a pair of black jeans from my closet, I closed the door and tossed my things onto my bed and moved over to my dresser. I took out my underclothes and proceeded to get dressed.

Once I was dressed I fastened my bracelet around my left wrist and put on my necklace before I once again brushed out my hair. I fastened it back in a low ponytail that rested at the nape of my neck so my still slightly wet/damp hair fell down my back. I pulled on a pair of white and pale yellow striped thick socks to warm my oddly cold feet before I left my room and headed downstairs and into the kitchen. When I walked into the dark room, I turned on the light and headed straight for the coffee pot. As I was filling it with water I heard Charlie's alarm clock go off in the silent house and I glanced at the clock to see that it was five-thirty. A minute later I had the coffee brewing and moved over to the pantry to get out what I needed to make breakfast that morning.

I hummed quietly to myself as I moved with ease through the kitchen and pulled the waffle iron out of its hiding place in the bottom cupboard and put it on the counter. I plugged it in, but didn't turn it on since I hadn't started the batter yet. When I did that I would turn it on so it could heat up while I got the batter ready. After making sure I had the syrup, butter, and everything else needed for breakfast set out on the table, I started making the batter and nearly had it all together when I heard shuffling sock clad feet on the wood floor before I heard a heavy sigh that told me that Charlie had entered the kitchen after a brief trip upstairs.

"Morning," I said cheerily as I looked up from the bowl of nearly ready waffle batter and smiled at him. He was still dressed in his normal pajamas, black sweats and white t-shirt, and his short dark hair was sticking up in various directions while his jaw was peppered with stubble that looked odd paired with his mustache.

"Morning," he said, his voice gruff, before he scratched his neck and shook his head. "So, what time did you get up today?" he asked as he headed straight for the coffee pot.

"Three-thirty," I said, knowing that there was no point in _not_ telling Charlie the truth. He knew I wasn't sleeping and that something was up, but he didn't ask for details. He'd simply asked me if it was a 'need to know' thing the other day, and at my nod he just sighed heavily before he lectured me about needing sleep and to not let myself get too stressed out over it. Yeah, that was definitely easier to say than to actually do.

"And what time did you go to bed?" he asked after he let out a heavy sigh and poured himself a cup of coffee. I turned on the waffle iron beside me before I looked back at the batter, added the vanilla and stirred it a few times.

"I got home at curfew and crawled into bed around midnight," I said before I grabbed the small ladle from the container of mixing/serving spoons, spatulas, etc., that we had on the counter.

"Aurora," he said heavily and I took a deep breath before I turned my eyes back to Charlie who was now leaning against the counter with mug of steaming black coffee in hand. "I know that whatever is going on is another 'need to know' thing, but you've gotten less than four or three hours of sleep a night this week and don't think I haven't noticed that Jake's been MIA. I'm not complaining about the second part, but I'm worried about the first."

"I'm fine, Charlie," I said with a small smile as he took a drink from his mug. "It's just that what's going on is . . . stressful and it's sort of got Jacob and me at odds a little bit because he's hell bent on protecting me and keeping me as far away from everything as possible."

"Well, if he's that concerned about you being involved, maybe you should listen to him and stay out of it," Charlie said before he took another drink of his coffee and I sighed as I checked to see if the waffle iron was hot enough.

"Jacob's overprotective," I said as I grabbed the ladle and filled the waffle iron with batter before I closed the lid and turned it. "And I can't stay out of it, Charlie," I said before I turned my eyes to his concerned and still sleep laced eyes. "It doesn't matter if I stay locked away in this house and only leave it to go to school because I'm in it whether Jacob likes it or not."

"He's got his hands full with you, doesn't he?" Charlie asked as I opened the waffle iron, relieved to see the golden brown color of the large waffle inside. I laughed as I grabbed one of the plates I had pulled out the cupboard and put the waffle on to it.

"You know it," I said as I looked at him and Charlie laughed before he looked at the waffle. "Do you want to eat now or after you wake up a bit more and get ready for work?" I asked.

"I'll eat after I get dressed," he said before he finished off his cup of coffee and sat the empty cup down by the pot, which he would undoubtedly fill again after he got ready for the day. "You go ahead though."

"Okay," I said. "I'll fix yours when you're dressed so they won't get cold."

"You're too good to me, Aurora," Charlie said and I laughed before I ladled some more batter onto the waffle iron, closed it, and turned it once again as I turned my eyes to Charlie.

"I love to cook, Charlie, which is something you and Jacob take full advantage of," I said and Charlie scoffed quietly before he patted his slightly puffy lower abdomen.

"I know, and between you and Sue, this is going to become more than just a beer belly," he said as he lowered his hand and I laughed fully as I shook my head and he grinned. With a gentle pat on my left shoulder, Charlie left the kitchen to get ready for the day and I sighed quietly, a small smile still on my lips.

However, my smile didn't last long and by the time my second waffle was done, buttered, and syrup covered, I was sitting at the kitchen table with a frown on my face. Charlie had a point, I knew that well enough, but I hadn't been wrong when I said that I couldn't stay out of it. I knew too much and was too involved in everything to sit back like Jacob wanted me too. I didn't know what the next few weeks were going to bring, but I was determined to stick them out and hopefully everything would come to a peaceful conclusion.

* * *

The Cullens' house was empty when I arrived at a quarter passed eight, but it didn't take me long to find Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and Seth. They were all in the backyard; however, there were four dark haired vampires with them. Vampires that I did not know, and the second I stepped out onto the pack porch, every pair of eyes turned in my direction.

"Morning," I said as I mentally willed my heart to stop racing as I walked down the porch steps and towards the gathered group. I didn't know where Kate, Tanya, Carmen, or Eleazar were, but that didn't matter at the moment since I had four pairs of red eyes focused on me at the moment. Seth met me halfway, a concerned look in his eyes but a small smile on his lips. "Hi Seth," I said evenly and he shook his head.

"Jake's going to kill you," he said quietly.

"No he won't, and since he's making a point to avoid me the next time you phase with him or see him you can tell him that I said that I think he's being immature, and to get his head out of his ass. You can also tell him that whether we talk or not, I'm still going to do what I want," I said with a sweet smile on my face. Seth pursed his lips together as he looked at me, obviously to hold back his laughter, before he nodded his head curtly. I walked around him, but Seth quickly fell in line beside me as we joined the others.

I smiled at Renesmee, which earned me a bright smile from the little girl, and I gently touched the top of her head as we passed by her and I took a deep breath as I settled on Edward's right side with Seth still at my side. The younger male red eyed vampire that stood with Renesmee looked at me curiously before the younger female vampire moved to stand at his side, her expression much like his: curious. However, the slightly older couple looked almost disturb to see me there.

"Who is this?" the slightly older male vampire asked as he looked at me.

"This is my cousin, Aurora," Bella said.

"She's human," the slightly older looking woman vampire stated as she took the hand of the man beside her.

"She's also the mate of Seth's alpha," Edward said.

"And she is very important to the girl. To all of you," the younger male said and my blue eyes met his red. I'd gotten used to the whole red eye thing while Bella had been a newborn, thankfully hers were more coppery brown now as she had had a straight vegetarian diet over the last two months, but I still found red eyes kind of creepy.

"Yes, she is," Edward said, but my eyes remained on the young man that was now standing while Renesmee had trotted over to Bella and took her mother's hand. "Aurora," Edward said with a slight pause, "these are our friends from Egypt: Amun, his wife Kabi, Benjamin, and his mate Tia," Edward said and I smiled at all of them. Though they were all vampires, their skin was not alabaster white like Edward and the others. They all had dark olive or very light tan complexions that just seemed a little duller, and I was surprised that they had traveled such a long way to be here.

"It's nice to meet all of you, and thank you for coming," I said, relieved that my heart wasn't racing to show just how on edge I felt. Benjamin took a step forward before he was heading straight for me at a slow leisurely place. Edward made no move to stand in front of me and while Seth shifted his feet slightly, he remained where he stood and didn't touch me. The fact that Edward remained still put me at ease and I knew then that Benjamin was not intending to hurt me in anyway.

"May I show you something?" he asked as he held out his left hand to me.

"Benjamin," Amun said firmly, but the younger man simply looked over his right shoulder at the man I presumed to have been his maker given the look of disapproval that was on his face.

"She can be trusted, Amun," he said slowly and Amun sighed while Tia smiled and Benjamin returned his eyes to mine. "May I?" he asked again and I frowned slightly as I looked at him curiously before I took a deep breath and nodded my head curtly.

"Sure," I said as I raised my right hand and he gently took hold of my hand. His icy touch made goose bumps travel up my arm as he turned my hand in his left so that my palm was facing up before he covered my hand with his right, encasing my surprisingly smaller hand in both of his.

I looked from our joined hands to his face and saw him smile coyly at me before he turned my hand slightly and I felt something fill my palm. Frowning, my eyes instantly went back to our hands and as he lifted his right hand slowly a bit of dust like dirt fell out of my palm before he it started to slowly rise in the air. I took a sharp breath before he started to turn his right hand in a circle and a gentle wind wrapped around us as the dirt spun in a funnel shape in my hand.

"Whoa," I whispered as the small funnel spun in my hand.

"Benjamin can influence the elements," Edward said from beside me and I smiled as I looked from the funnel and at the vampire in front of me who was smiling kindly at me.

"And here I get super self-control," Bella said dryly, but my eyes remained on Benjamin as he lifted both of our hands and the small spinning funnel of dirt lifted up into the air before it disappeared altogether.

"That's _amazing_," I said and Benjamin chuckled quietly before he bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you," he said and I smiled at Benjamin once again. However, our happy peaceful moment didn't last long because suddenly various animals in the forest were making noise behind us and I could hear a familiar rushing of wind and leaves that I knew meant only one thing. Edward gently urged me towards Seth, who instantly grabbed hold of my left arm and tucked me behind him.

Seth was only an inch or two taller than me and his strong by lithe frame really didn't block me or my view from the vampire or vampires that were quickly drawing closer, but I knew better than to step away from Seth until the new guests were deemed safe. Then, suddenly but expected at the same time, two female vampires, both with darker skin, deep black hair, and looking as though they had come straight out of the rainforest or something were standing there. They both had curious looks on their faces and their bright red eyes were focused on Renesmee as the little girl stood with Bella.

"Who are they?" Bella asked, her hands resting on Renesmee's shoulders.

"Senna and Zafrina," Edward said with a pause, "from the Amazon." Well, I'd been right about the whole rainforest thing. Bella took Renesmee's hand then and she, along with Edward, brought Renesmee over to the newcomers. Seth took half a step, wanting to follow them, but he sighed as he remained in front of me.

"Go on, Seth," I whispered as I pushed at his back and he looked at me. "Go," I said firmly as our eyes locked and he hesitated before he nodded and quickly followed after Edward and Bella. I remained where I stood and watched as the two new vampires interacted with Renesmee, smiles and looks of wonder gracing their features as Renesmee showed them her life thus far using her special talent.

"You are not afraid of us," came a soft voice from behind me and I turned around to see that Tia had moved to join Benjamin and Amun and Kabi were now standing closer to me as well.

"Actually, I am a little bit," I admitted as I gave Tia a small smile. She smiled at me in return, and part of me was relieved to see that it was a kind and welcoming smile and not a cunning one.

"And yet here you are," Amun said. I looked at him only to see that his brow was furrowed and he appeared genuinely curious as he looked at me. "Why?"

"Because you came here to help us, and I'd like to think that since you are friends of Carlisle and Esme that you wouldn't hurt me since I'm, in a roundabout way, their family," I said and out of the corner of my eye I saw Benjamin and Tia share a small smile. "Am I right to think that you won't?"

"You are," Amun said after he looked at me for several beats. He held out his right hand to me and I smiled at him before I put my hand in his. We shook hands and for some reason I bowed my head slightly to him.

"Thank you," I said and he gave me a tight lipped smile in return as we let go of each other's hands.

"Aurora," Seth called from behind me and I turned around to look at him, my smile still in place from my conversation with Amun. Seth looked at me with anxious eyes before he turned his head towards the woods. I followed his gaze only to see Jacob standing at the edge of the trees with his shoulders trembling and fists clenched at his sides.

"Is that your mate?" Benjamin asked, his tone curious, and I nodded even though my back was to him.

"Yes," I said before I looked over my shoulder at the four vampires. "Will you excuse me?" I asked.

"Of course," Amun said and I smiled slightly at them before I turned away from them and headed for Jacob, who was dressed in a khaki colored t-shirt and dark wash jeans with his boots on his feet.

"_What_ are you doing here?" he asked as he met me halfway. He raised his hands when I was within reach and firmly, but gently, wrapped his shaking hands around my upper arms.

"I came to visit, Edward, Bella, and the others," I said evenly. "I didn't know that more guests had come until I got here."

"Then why didn't you leave?" he asked, his voice just as tight and tense as his stone hard muscles.

"Because I like to make new friends," I said and he growled quietly before I was suddenly lifted from the ground and tossed over his left shoulder for the second time that week. "Jacob! You're being ridiculous! Put me down!" I ordered, but he kept his hold on me, his left arm solidly around the back of my thighs and his right around my calves while I was bent at the waist over his shoulder. He marched into the trees without so much as allowing me to say goodbye to the others, but I did hear laughter follow our disappearance and I can only imagine what Edward, Bella, or Seth said about Jacob's behavior for everyone to laugh like that.

As he walked, I didn't bothering hitting his back like I wanted to because I would only end up hurting himself if I did, so, I just let him march further and further into the forest without saying a word to me. Finally, he stopped walking and deposited me back onto the ground. I stumbled a bit as my boot glad feet hit the slightly wet ground and I glared up at my boyfriend as I tugged down the hem of my tank top and pushed the up the sleeves of my cardigan. Given my anger and rush of adrenaline I was a little warm, but I wasn't about to take my sweater off since it was chilly out that late morning.

"I told you that when more vampires start coming that you were to stay clear of the Cullens' house, Aurora," Jacob said, going full alpha male on me as he looked down at me.

"And I said that I wasn't going to let you keep me out of this," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. "We were supposed to talk about working something out, but you've been avoiding me all week."

"You know I can't avoid you, Aurora," Jacob said, his hands going into fists at his sides as he did his best to control the emotions rolling through his body. I knew he was angry, not only at me but also at the fact that he had found me pretty much surrounded by red eyed vampires while Seth (who he likely ordered to guard me when he wasn't around) was a good fifty or sixty feet away.

"Oh I know," I said, my arms still crossed. "You've probably just been doing regular check ins to make sure I'm safe without me knowing; which _is _avoiding me, Jacob, since I don't know you're there."

"Aurora," he started, his voice a low growl, but I interrupted him.

"Before this blows up into a big fight that I really, _really_, don't want to have with you, will you listen to what I have to say?" I asked and he pursed his lips as he looked at me. It was silent between the two of us, the only noises filling the air was the sound of Jacob's heavy breathing a chirp or two from the various birds that lived in the forest around us. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jacob let out a heavy sigh as his muscles finally relaxed and his shoulders fell slightly before he nodded his head.

"All right," he said heavily and I let out a soft sigh of my own before I uncrossed my arms from in front of my chest.

"I know you want me stay out of all of this, but I can't stay out of this, Jacob," I said as I shook my head. "Witnesses are coming from all over the world, Jacob; they're coming to stand with the Cullens to get the Volturi to listen so they can prove that Renesmee isn't an immortal child and that no law was broken."

"And that's all the more reason for you to stay as far away from here as possible. This place is going to be crawling with a bunch of leeches sooner than any of us really like, and I don't trust any of them," he cut in with a scowl and I sighed and shook my head yet again as I looked at him. I needed to get him to listen to me, but he was too stubborn. There was only one way that I knew I could get through to him, and that was to let my guard down and tell him just how much of a toll this whole thing was already taking on me.

"I haven't slept all week," I said as I looked at him and the scowl left Jacob's face only to be replaced with a look of concern. "I'm worried and you know how I get when I'm worried about something."

"Aurora," he said, his tone soft for the first time that day, and he reached out for me, but I took a step back and away from him.

"Powerful vampires are coming to kill not the Cullens, Jacob, and I have no doubt that you and Sam have already agreed to stand with the Cullens and other vampires when the Volturi arrive because of Seth's connection to Renesmee. She's pack and pack protects pack," I said and Jacob sighed as he lowered his hands back to his sides. "_You_ could very well die if the Volturi refuse to listen and there ends up being a fight."

"That won't happen," he said, but his tone wasn't all that convincing and I laughed bitterly as I shook my head.

"You know as well as I do that the vampires that are coming are _nothing_ like the newborns that you guys fought before," I said. "Edward told me all about Jane and her brother, Alec, and a few other gifted vampires that are in the Volturi Guard. Death is the most likely result if a fight breaks out for everyone involved, and I'm not going to be coddled and kept in the dark. I won't let you do to me what Sam and Jared do with Emily and Kim or even what Paul does with Melody by keeping her in the dark, Jacob, and I know too much for your sugar coated words to work anyway."

He reached out for me again, and that time I didn't step away. I allowed him to grab me by my upper waist, his hands slipping underneath my open cardigan to rest against my tank top along my ribs, before he pulled me close to his body so my chest was nearly pressed up against his. I raised my hands to rest on his hips as I looked up at him and he sighed heavily for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last few minutes as he looked down at me.

"You're right," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for trying to keep you out of everything, but you've got to understand where I'm coming from. Alice and Jasper took off, leaving when their family needed them the most. What do you think that means? Alice must have seen something to cause her and Jasper to pack up, turn tail, and run."

"They wouldn't abandon their family," I said as I shook my head and Jacob sighed yet again at my words. "I know that there's more to why they left, but just what it is I don't know."

"There isn't anything more to why they left," Jacob said. "They left because they didn't want to die, and that's the only reason why they left."

"I don't believe that," I said as I shook my head, and Jacob's grip tightened on my waist.

"In the end, it doesn't' matter why Alice and Jasper left or how many witnesses the Cullens are able to gather. I know this isn't going to end well, Aurora, and I want to keep you out of all of it so you still have a chance," he said and my stomach sank and my heart raced all at the same time as those words left his mouth. "If something happens to me when it all goes down and I don't make it back to you, I want-"

"Don't," I said firmly and loudly as traitorous tears lined my eyes and I raised my hands in between us to push at his chest. He didn't budge from where he stood, but he did stop talking. "Don't you even _think_ about finishing that sentence, Jacob Ephraim Black, or so help me God I will find something heavy enough to actually hurt you and hit you with it!" My voice shook as I yelled at him and a few tears rolled down my cheeks. "They are going to get enough witnesses and the Volturi are going to listen and see that no law was broken. There isn't going to be a fight and everything is going to work out," I said tightly.

I wasn't only trying to convince Jacob that that was what was going to happen, but now myself as well. The fact that Jacob actually believed he was going to die in the fight that was likely to happen unexpectedly popped my usually optimistic bubble. Me saying that him dying was a possibility was one thing, but Jacob actually thinking that it was going to be the likely outcome made me internally panic because to me that meant that he was expecting to die when all was said and done. He was pretty much giving up before anything had even happened, and that wasn't the Jacob that I knew. That wasn't my Jacob.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Jacob, and nothing is going to happen to anyone else. I don't even want you thinking anything different than that. If I have to, I'll ask Edward to keep tabs on you and I'll tell the other guys and Leah to tell me if you start going down that path," I said, my voice far firmer than it had been a minute ago, but a few more tears rolled down my cheeks as I glared up at him. Jacob sighed as he raised his hands to my face, wiped at my tears, and nodded.

"Okay," he said softly, more to appease me than anything because I knew he didn't believe that it was all going to work out. "Okay," he said again before he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

I grasped at his t-shirt, wrinkling the soft cotton on his chest in my hands, and pressed my knuckles into his chest as I kissed him back, but sadly the kiss did not last long. He pulled his lips from mine before he rested his forehead against mine. Obviously, he had kissed me to calm me down and to put me at ease with one of the few things he knew would work. However, my heart was now racing for a whole different reason, but it was neither the time nor the place for anything like that to happen.

"You feel like heading back so you can introduce me to your new friends?" Jacob asked after a few quiet beats and he pulled his forehead from mine. I looked up at him, thankful for the sudden change of subject, but surprised that it seemed like he was going to let me go around the Cullens' house despite the arrival of several red eyed vampires.

"Does that mean you're not going to fight me on visiting the Cullens' place anymore?" I asked before I sniffed quietly and mentally cursed the stuffy nose that had come with my tears. Jacob's hands continued to gently hold my face as he sighed and then proceeded to take a long and deep breath through his mouth.

"You can come around so long as there is no threat to you, but the second one of the vamps even thinks about making a meal of you, which I'll know because Edward already told me he'd give me the head's up, your visits stop," he said. "Can you agree to that?"

"Yeah, I can," I said softly before I smiled slightly at him and he ran his thumbs along my cheeks. He gave me a small smile in return before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips once more. I slid my hands up around his shoulders as I kissed him back and he lowered his hands from my face to wrap his arms around my waist as he pressed my body tightly to his. "I love you," I whispered against his mouth, but Jacob said nothing in response and he didn't have to. I already knew that he loved me too, and the hard kiss he seared on my lips the second the words were out of my mouth conveyed that without the need for the words.

"Come on," he said after he ended our kiss and took my left hand into his right. "Let's head back." I nodded before I wiped at my eyes with my free hand, thankful that I hadn't put any makeup on that morning, and the two of us started walking. I leaned into Jacob as we walked and he let go of my hand only to wrap his arm around my back, and I wrapped my left arm around his lower back. I leaned into him a little more while the leaves crunched under our feet as we continued to walk. "I missed you," he said quietly and I smiled as I kept my eyes on the path ahead.

"I missed you too," I said back just as quietly, "but Charlie hasn't," I added, which made Jacob let out a quiet chuckle.

"So, I guess that he won't be too thrilled with me coming around tonight," he stated more than asked and I too let out a quiet laugh.

"Probably not, but I certainly won't mind," I said and Jacob placed a soft kiss on my left temple.

"Then I'll be there," he whispered into my hair before he lifted his head and I rested my head on his shoulder as a small smile settled on my lips.

"Good," was all I said in response before we continued our walk in silence. I needed to focus on what was happening now, and not what was going to happen the day or days the snow starting sticking to the ground. With the threat of the Volturi looming our future together and the futures of everyone we cared about now appeared to be in limbo, but I wouldn't dwell on it. I couldn't because if I did I highly doubted that I would ever sleep again. At least until it was all over.


	44. Chapter 44

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Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Four**

Over the next two weeks the Cullens' house quickly filled with vampires from all over the world and the U.S. I was still a frequent visitor and while the few nomad vampires that Rosalie and Emmett had encountered and asked to come scared me more than the others, according to Edward, no one had thought to make a meal of me yet. Apparently, Jacob's pungent scent was so intermingled with mine that it made me less tempting than I would have been had Jacob not spent every night in my bed like he had been since our agreement in the woods.

Even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, not even to me, Jacob was anxious as more and more vampires arrived. Not so much for their hunting tendencies or my safety really. Of course those things were high on his 'things to be anxious about' list, but there was also another reason. Because of all of the vampires arriving in Forks there was the possibility that more boys, who were of age in the tribe and carried the gene, phasing and becoming part of one of the packs. He'd confessed to me that when it first happened to him it was scary because he didn't know what was happening to him until he was standing in his backyard with four paws and a tail.

He was spending more of his days on the reservation, watching for signs of the transformation amongst the boys, and he was certain that at least three boys were going to phase and phasing soon. So, instead of him being at my side during my visits to the Cullens' house after school he ordered Embry to never leave my side and for Seth to keep an eye on me while I was there. While I often found his overprotective nature annoying sometimes, other times I was grateful for it because with the vast number of human blood drinking vampires that were slowly taking over the Cullens' house I felt safer with Embry or Seth at my side. However, I had also formed a seriously unlikely friendship with Benjamin and Tia, and part of me was certain that neither one of them would let anything happen to me either.

After spending a couple of hours with Renesmee, Seth, Benjamin, and Tia for a little while after I had arrived at the Cullen's place that Friday afternoon, I took up residence in the kitchen to fix some food for Embry, Seth, and me. Charlie was having dinner with Sue that night, so, I didn't have to worry about him and Jacob was likely out on patrol so I wouldn't see him until tonight when he came swinging into my window. Esme had given me free reign of her kitchen, making sure that it was stocked so that us humans or shape shifters had food to eat when we were around. Embry was quietly sitting on the stool that rested at the island in the kitchen watching me chop onions and wipe at the tears the onions caused with the back of my wrist. It was the first real moment I had _alone_ with the boy across from me, and I figured it was as good a time as any to finally ask him why he had been avoiding Gina.

"Embry, may I ask you something?" I asked as I glanced up from my dicing and looked at him.

"Sure," he said with a small frown and I looked back down to finish my work.

"How come you never called Gina back when she tried to get in touch with you?" I asked and I heard him sigh heavily. "When I went down to Sand Diego last month she was pretty torn up about it, and she'll still ask about you sometimes when I talk to her and Melody on the phone. I get that you probably regret what happened between the two of-," I made to continue but I didn't get to finish.

"I don't regret it, Aurora," Embry said quickly and I looked up at him then to see Embry looking at me with a slightly sad look on his face before he sighed once again and sat back in his seat, his hands falling to rest on his thighs. "I _really_ like Gina. She's brash, loud, and a little crazy; and she was so much fun to hang out with when she was here."

"I sense a 'but' in there somewhere," I said as I sat my knife down and looked at him expectantly. He let out a short bitter chuckle before he nodded his head.

"But she's not my imprint," he said as his brown eyes met my blue. "I wanted to call her back and I wanted to have some sort of relationship with her, but I can't. If we got together, made the whole long distance thing work for a while before we were _together_ together and things got serious there would always be a chance that things would end badly. If we were together, there would still be a chance that I could meet my imprint at some point; and if I did, I would do to her what Sam did to Leah. I don't want that to happen. I like her too much to do that to her."

"You didn't have to cut her off completely though, Embry," I said. "I mean, I understand what you're saying and it's noble of you to want to protect her like that; but I know that if you were to tell Gina that you just want to be friends, she'd be okay with that. She's the kind of girl that unless you seriously wrong her, would be your friend for life. Hell, she's still friends with three of her four ex-boyfriends."

"What about the fourth?" Embry asked with a slightly furrowed brow and I laughed.

"Oh, she wants to kill him every time she sees him," I said and he raised his left eyebrow. "He cheated on her with a girl that Gina was sort of friends with, which means that both of them are on her shit list forever." Embry chuckled at that and I smiled at him before I picked my knife to resume my dicing. "When you get a minute, just give her a call and talk to her. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you; even if it's you telling her you want to be friends."

"I will," Embry said with a small smile on his lips. "Thanks. You always know what to say."

"Eh, it's what I do," I said with a shrug and a wink that made Embry laugh lightly once more before I put the onions into a mixing bowl and moved on to the carrots that were waiting to be diced.

"You are Carlisle's human friend," came a new voice said and Embry sat up straight in his seat and I lifted my head to see the light brown haired, tall, lithe, and red eyed vampire that I knew had arrived that morning, but yet to meet. A few others had also arrived that morning, a trio of vampires from Ireland, but I still hadn't met them yet either. I'd been kept busy since I got the house, but I knew that I would meet the new arrivals in due time.

"My name is Aurora," I said evenly as I held his gaze and he smiled at me as he walked further into the kitchen, his eyes flickering to Embry. "And this is my friend, Embry."

"Garrett," the vampire said as he turned his eyes back to me, inclining his head slightly, and I smiled at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Garrett," I said. "I'm glad that you came to help us."

"Carlisle is one of my closest friends. My curiosity was peaked when Rosalie and Emmett tracked me down to say that Carlisle needed me and they told me of their plight. I have to admit that that little girl is . . .," he trailed off as he came to stand at the kitchen island on Embry's right, but with a good bit of distance between them.

"Amazing and unique," I supplied for him and Garrett smiled at me once more.

"Indeed," he said.

"So, when did you meet Carlisle?" I asked, genuinely curious, and Garrett's smile remained on his face as his red eyes scanned over my face and the upper half of my body, which was all he could see given how I was standing. I wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary, just a pale pink cable knit sweater over dark jeans, and my hair was pulled back, once again in a low ponytail. I didn't know what he was thinking as he looked me over, but since Edward wasn't rushing in here I knew he wasn't thinking about having me for dinner. His look didn't make me uncomfortable though because he honestly looked more curious than anything, but Embry apparently didn't like it given that he shifted in his seat and clenched his hands into fists on his thighs.

"We met during the Revolutionary War, at the Siege of Yorktown," Garrett said finally after the long beat of silence between us and sending a glance to Embry before his eyes settled back on me.

"Really?" I asked, sounding far too excited than I should have been, and he smiled yet again as he nodded. "Were you already . . . were you already changed when you met?"

"I was," he said with a slight nod of his head.

"For how long?" I asked. I probably shouldn't have been asking him such personal questions since we had just met, but I was curious and he didn't really seem all that upset that I was asking.

"Not long," he said, but didn't expand on his answer so I thought it best to stop my line of questioning before I crossed a line that I didn't want to and insult him or something. "From the memories the little girl showed me, you are the mate of one of the wolves that are ever present around here," he said, changing the subject and turning the conversation so that it was focused on me.

"I am," I said, "but he's not here at the moment."

"Which is why you have a personal guard," he said as his eyes flickered to Embry once again. I laughed lightly and Garrett smiled at me.

"Yeah, Jacob's a little protective," I said, "but Embry's not bad company," I finished as I looked at my friend. Embry tore his eyes away from Garrett and looked at me, a small smile settling on his lips as he did so.

"He's right to be protective," Garrett said, drawing both Embry's and my eyes back to him. "Not only are a human amongst a houseful of vampires, but you are a rather_ lovely_ one at that." He was teasing me, either trying to get a rise out of me or Embry, that much I could tell because while he meant the complimentary words there was a playful glint in his blood red eyes. It worked because Embry growled quietly, which made Garrett grin as he continued to look at me.

"Thank you, Garrett, but I'm also only seventeen and you're over two hundred and thirty years old," I said, a grin settling on my own lips as I looked at him and gently shook my head. "It would never work between us." Garrett humored me with a good natured laugh while Embry looked at me with raised eyebrows before he too smiled after finally catching on that Garrett and I were teasing each other.

"Sadly, that's true," Garrett said, still chuckling as he looked at me. A question popped into my head then, and I stopped myself from asking it flat out; opting instead to get permission from Garrett before asking it.

"May I ask you something that might seem completely random, but I promise that it isn't inappropriate," I said and to my surprise Garrett nodded.

"Of course," he said and I shifted my feet as I leaned my hands against the counter on either side of the cutting board that rested in front of me.

"Did you ever meet George Washington?" I asked as I looked at him and the vampire smiled widely at me and shook his head negatively.

"Unfortunately, no, but I came this close to biting Custer," he said as he pinched his index finger and thumb of his right hand close together. "The Indians got to him first though," he said as he lowered his hand and gave Embry another sideways look.

"It wasn't my tribe," Embry said, surprising me since Embry was usually quiet around new people, but vampires appeared to be the exception to that rule. Especially since Embry was grinning at Garrett as he said those four words.

"No, not yours," Garrett said with another slight bow of his head in acknowledgement to Embry.

"Did you take part in all the wars?" I asked, drawing Garrett's attention back to me.

"Only the ones on American soil," he said and I nodded my head.

"Cool," I said and he was once again smiling at me.

"You, Aurora, are an interesting human," he said.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"Good, and I can see why Carlisle and the rest of his coven think so highly of you," he said before he tapped the counter with his fingerless glove covered hands and left Embry and I on our own once again.

"Well, that was interesting," Embry said and I turned my eyes to him, "and I don't think Jacob's going to like you flirting with a vampire." Embry was smiling as he said that last bit and I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes before I resumed my chopping.

"I wasn't flirting with him," I said. "I was making conversation, which is something you do with people you hope to become friends with. The vampires have come here to help us, Embry, and the least I can do is to be nice to them." A loud howl outside vibrated throughout the air only to be quickly followed by another one, and my back stiffened as I turned to look towards the sliding glass door that led to the second level balcony off the kitchen. "Are those good or bad howls, Embry?" I asked as I turned my eyes to him and he was already standing from the stool he was sitting on.

"They're not alarm or warning howls," Embry said. "Seth, come in the kitchen!" he called and not a second later Seth was in the kitchen and standing beside Embry. "Stay with Aurora," Embry said firmly and Seth nodded his head while Embry disappeared from the kitchen, undoubtedly going outside to phase and figure out what the howls were all about.

"Don't worry, Rory," he said. "I think that one of the guys Jacob has been watching might have finally phased. I had overheard Mom, Old Quil, and Billy talking to Ryan Crow's parents the other day; and from what I heard he was seriously close to phasing." I nodded but I wasn't really sure if I should trust Seth's assessment of the situation or not. I was probably being paranoid, but I've had good reason to be on edge lately and part of me worried that it was something more than that.

"He's right," came Edward's voice and looked from Seth to Edward as he walked into the kitchen. "Embry's close enough to the house that he's still within my range," he said, "and Jacob's just gotten himself a new member to his pack."

* * *

A little more than two more weeks had passed by far more quickly than they should have and Jacob had garnered two new members to his pack in addition to Ryan who had been the one to phase two weeks ago. The new additions were a fourteen year old named Aaron Lowe and, of all things, a twelve year old named Jeffrey Morrow. Jacob was busy training his new recruits, sometimes with Leah's help but mostly on his own, which meant that Embry and Seth continued to play guard during my visits to the Cullen's house. I hadn't seen Jacob during waking hours for the last four days because he was trying to help Aaron and Jeffrey learn to control themselves, but I had felt him crawl into bed with me every night before he would wrap me up in his arms.

I had had a short week at school that week given that Thursday was Thanksgiving, and since Charlie was working the day shift that day, Jacob was busy, and my 'normal' friends were all out of town for the holiday, I was spending my Wednesday at the Cullens'. Tomorrow, Charlie and I would be having dinner at Sue's with Seth, Leah, Jacob, and Billy; and I was actually looking forward to it. Thankfully, all of the vampires seemed to be on their best behavior when I was around, and I had quickly come to learn that Kate, Benjamin, and Eleazar weren't the only other gifted vampires that had taken up residence in the Cullens' house.

Maggie, the youngest member of the coven of vampires from Ireland with tight ringlet curls that I was definitely envious of since my curls tended to be loose and frizzy, was like a living lie detector. She could tell when someone was being deceitful or lying to her. Carlisle and Esme had finally returned from their travels with a less than social vampire named Alistair in tow. I'd met him briefly during my visit to the Cullen's house on Sunday, and he was . . . interesting. Alistair was seriously one of the most pessimistic people I had ever met, and I couldn't help but wonder just what made him that way. However, despite his pessimistic attitude he too was gifted. He had a strong tracking ability, which according to Carlisle was thanks to the immense hunting skills he had when he was human. His skill wasn't very strong, but he was still an excellent tracker.

Out of the gifted vampires that had come to witness on our behalf it was Zafrina whose talent sort of freaked me out the most. She had power over a person's mind, meaning she could make anyone see what she wanted them to. I hadn't personally experienced Zafrina's gift, but that was about to change that afternoon. Edward had been the one to give me the rundown of some of their guests' gifts, and Zafrina had overheard me asking Edward about hers. She had offered to show me what she could do, and like a fool I had simply said 'sure' before Edward, Bella, and I made our way outside with Zafrina and Senna. Since I was with Edward and Bella, Embry had reluctantly remained inside, but as we went further into the trees with Zafrina and Senna I sort of wished he would have followed after me.

When we stopped walking, Zafrina and Senna stood across from Edward, Bella, and me. Bella stood in between Edward and me, the fingers of her right hand laced with Edward's while Zafrina's gaze zeroed in on the three of us. My heart started racing while Senna smiled as she looked at her 'sister' and then at us. Bella, obviously sensing my sudden discomfort, wrapped her icy left hand around my right and I gave her hand a squeeze as forest around us melted away and changed. Suddenly, I wasn't standing amongst the tall trees of moss that I had become used to. Instead, I was standing in the middle of the rainforest. I could hear the sounds of exotic birds crying out into the air along with monkeys; monkeys that I could see up high in the trees around me. I could even feel the heat and moisture of the air against my skin.

"This is seriously freaky," I said quietly as I tightened my grip on Bella's hand. "It's so real."

"I know," Edward said quietly, sounding just as awed as I felt. "If Bella wasn't holding my hand right now, I would swear it was real."

"I don't see anything," Bella said.

"Seriously?" I asked as my eyes scanned the rainforest around me. "How do you not?"

"I don't know, but I don't," she said.

"Edward, you didn't tell me your wife was a shield," came Eleazar's voice and the rainforest melted away just as quickly as it had appeared. It was a bit of a head rush, but as I let go of Bella's hand I looked at Eleazar curiously before I looked between Edward and Bella. The surprise on Edward's face as he looked at Bella told me that Edward hadn't put two and two together that Bella was a shield; whatever that was.

"What's a shield?" Bella asked, voicing my question as she turned slightly and let go of Edward's hand in the process.

"The one's I've met are so different," Edward said as he looked down at Bella.

"It's a defensive talent," Eleazar explained.

"It's why I couldn't read your mind, even before," Edward said. "It's why Aro couldn't."

"And why Jane's power didn't work on her," I added quietly and both Bella and Edward looked at me. When Carlisle had first told me about the Volturi he had also told me all that happened during Bella and Alice's rescue mission to Volterra to save Edward.

"Yes," Edward said.

"You have a very powerful gift," Eleazar said evenly and I jumped when I heard an electrical current sound only to see Kate standing behind Bella and me, her right hand grasping Bella's tightly as she used her power on Bella.

"Oh yeah, she's a shield all right," Kate said as I turned around completely to see that Carlisle, Esme, Tanya, Carmen, and Garrett had joined us. "That should have put her on her ass."

"Or your voltage has been exaggerated," Garrett said and I bit back my smile as I looked between the two vampires. It was easy for me to see the chemistry between Kate and Garrett, and judging by the smirks that were on the others faces I wasn't the only one that noticed.

"Maybe it only works on the weak," Kate said as she held her hand up after turning to face Garrett fully, wiggling her fingers in a silent challenge as she looked at him.

"That's probably not a good idea," I chimed in as Garrett took a step closer to Kate, but the tall lithe vampire just smiled at me before he continued towards Kate.

"Garrett, I really wouldn't," Carlisle said as Garrett raised his hand, but like with me Garrett didn't heed Carlisle's warning and touched the palm of Kate's right hand with his right index finger. I winced as sparks flew at the touch and the electrical sound once again filled the air before Garrett grimaced and groaned as he fell to his knees in pain. Everyone was smiling and I bit my lip to hold back my laughter as Garrett looked up at Kate with a smile on his face and a look that I had seen Jacob give me on more than one occasion.

"You are an amazing woman," Garrett said and I couldn't hold back my quiet laugh at that and I shook my head before I looked at Bella and Edward to see that they too were laughing quietly at the interaction. However, the nice moment didn't last long because suddenly every vampire around me stiffened and looked out into the trees. My senses were not nearly as sharp as theirs, but I could faintly hear the rustling deep in the woods; a sound that had become increasingly familiar over the last month. Garrett got to his feet quickly and I knew that whatever was coming could not have been good given the expressions on everyone's faces.

"What is it?" I asked quickly, looking at Carlisle, who had walked over to me and gently touched my upper arm.

"You should go inside, Aurora, and have Embry stay close to you," Carlisle said, his tone serious. "Now."

"Okay," I said as I nodded my head, however, I sent a concerned look towards Edward. _"Edward, Jacob's out there training his new pack members,"_ I thought and he pursed his lips as his golden gaze met my blue. _"He's alone with them and they're not ready for any kind of fight. They won't be able to help him."_

"He'll be okay," Edward assured me. "Go on." Taking a deep breath I nodded my head once again and started for the house. Embry was waiting for me by the patio door when I reached the house and I should have known that he'd been watching over me from a distance. He wasn't as bad as Jacob, but he could be a touch overprotective.

"I heard," he said before he gently took hold of my upper arm, his eyes going over my head as he pulled me further into the house.

"You should be right to worry, pup," came Garrett's voice from behind me and I turned around slightly to see not only him, bur Carmen and Esme following. "Our new arrivals weren't on Carlisle's 'invited list,'" he finished, "and they may not be as accommodating to our dear Aurora as the rest of us even if she reeks of dog all the time." He said that last bit in a teasing tone with a strained smile on his lips in an attempt to put me at ease; however, it didn't really work.

"Garrett," Esme admonished quietly, but Garrett kept his eyes on me. Like with Benjamin I had oddly bonded with Garrett, but for the life of me I could not tell you how or why exactly.

"You know who they are?" I asked him and Garrett shook his head.

"I'm not certain, but given that a conflict with the Volturi is a probability there are a few who would be more than happy to partake," Garrett said, his red eyes holding mine.

"Great," I said quietly.

* * *

The two new vampires that had arrived in Forks were far paler and far more frightening than even the nomad vampires, and their Romanian accents only made them seem like literal Dracula come to life. I was tucked solidly into Jacob's side when Carlisle had called a meeting. Carlisle, Eleazar, and Edward had looked troubled to say the least when they had returned to the house with Tanya, Kate, Bella, Jacob, and the two vampires clad in black leather. Jacob had sent Embry off with Aaron, Ryan, and Jeffrey and hadn't left my side since he walked through the door. Jacob had tried to get me to go home, but Charlie was still on shift and I really didn't want to be alone or be kept out of the loop because another wrench had been thrown in to our plans.

"When Aro wants someone from a coven it's never long before evidence turns up proving that coven committed some crime," Eleazar said once everyone, but Seth and Renesmee, had gathered in one of the sitting rooms.

"Should the human really be here for this or even at all?" Alistair asked dryly as he looked at me and I sighed quietly as I looked back at him. "Her knowing of our existence is breaking a law in itself."

"I'm the mate of an alpha shape shifter whose genetic make-up is specific to killing vampires," I said, cutting off whatever Carlisle had been about to say and every pair of eyes in the room was on me. It was still weird to call Jacob my mate, but it was how the vampires referred to us as and so that's what I said when talking to them. "Even if I wasn't sitting in this room with you, I would know all about you. All the mates of the shape shifters are well aware of what their better halves do, so, none of your vampire laws are technically being broken with me here." Jacob's right arm tightened around my waist as he pulled my left side into his right even more than I already was, but my eyes remained on Alistair as he stood by the windows just behind a seated Carlisle.

"She's right, Alistair," Carlisle said gently as he turned in his seat to look at his reclusive friend, who sighed heavily as he looked at Carlisle and then settled his eyes on me once more. Again, since Edward didn't say anything or step in front of me I presumed that Alistair wasn't thinking of a way to kill me or anything, so, I turned my eyes away from Alistair to look at Bella when I felt her shift beside me slightly.

"So, Aro has done this before," Bella said from where she sat on my right, and returned the conversation back to its intended purpose.

"It happens so rarely I never realized it was a pattern," Eleazar said as he gently shook his head.

"Apparently," Carlisle said, "he always pardons one person who thoughts he claims are repentant."

"Let me guess, the person he pardons always has a gift of some kind," I said as I looked at Eleazar, who sighed quietly as he nodded.

"Yes," he said heavily. "And they're always given a place within the guard."

"Alice," I said quietly to myself, the pieces finally starting to fall into place and making sense. I looked at Carlisle before I looked at Edward, who nodded.

"Aurora's right," Edward said.

"About?" Carlisle asked.

"This whole thing is about Alice," Edward said. "He has no one like her."

"That's why she left, and Jasper goes where Alice goes" I said my eyes going to Bella who looked at me. "She didn't just up and leave to abandon us." Bella nodded her head before she sighed needlessly and slid her hands together as she looked away from me.

"Why does Aro need witnesses?" Emmett asked.

"To spread the word that justice has been served," Alistair said suddenly as he moved away from the window and I, along with everyone else, looked at him. "After he slaughters and entire coven." Amun and Kabi moved from where they had been standing and crossed the room towards the exit where Garrett and one of the nomads were standing and where Benjamin and Tia were.

"Benjamin, Tia," Amun said, "we're leaving."

"And where will you go?" Edward asked. "What makes you think they will be satisfied with Alice? What's to stop them from going after Benjamin next? Or Zafrina or Kate, or anyone else with a gift or anyone they want?"

"They want power and they don't care who they kill or what they have to do to get it," I added, feeling compelled to say something else, and Edward nodded as he looked at me.

"Exactly," he said. "Their goal is acquisition not order or punishment." He paused before he shook his head and took a deep unnecessary breath before he scanned the room. "Carlisle may not ask you to fight, but I will. For not only the sake of my family but for yours and for the way you want to live." I turned my eyes to Jacob at the same time he looked at me.

His dark eyes said everything I already knew, he was going to stand up for the packs. They would fight. I closed my eyes and nodded my head before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on my forehead. I opened my eyes when he pulled away from me to stand, but he didn't stop touching me. His right leg remained touching my left knee as he stood up tall and proud and I couldn't help but smile sadly as I looked up at him. Since he broke from Sam's pack and took his rightful place as an alpha, Jacob had come into his own; and while I was scared and worried about what was to come, I was more than proud of my boyfriend for the man he had quickly became.

"The packs will fight," Jacob said firmly as I looked up at him. "We've never been afraid of vampires." I reached up with left hand and took hold of his right, only to have him squeeze my hand tightly in his as Tanya stood along with Kate and Carmen.

"We will fight," Tanya said evenly.

"This won't be the first time I fought a king's rule," Garrett said and I looked over my right shoulder towards him he as he walked a little further into the room.

"We'll join you," Benjamin said and I looked at him as he and Tia stepped forward.

"No," Amun said as he looked at Benjamin. I was almost as surprised as Amun was, but I really shouldn't have been. Benjamin had a good heart, and I shouldn't have doubted that he would follow it.

"I will do the right thing, Amun," Benjamin said as he looked at him, a serious expression on his face. "You may do as you please." Bella stood then, and even though there was no point in me doing so since I wouldn't be joining in any fight, I stood as well, wrapping my right hand around Jacob's elbow in the process.

"We will stand with you," Senna said before the members of the Irish coven stood.

"So will we," Siobhan said before the nomads stepped forward in silent agreement that they too stood with us.

"Well that didn't take much," the pale blonde freaky Romanian vampire said quietly to his comrade. I made a mental note then to ask Carlisle their names, but I doubted I would be on friendly terms with them like I was with the others.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Edward said as he glanced over his left shoulder at them.

"We'll see," Alistair said before he scoffed and left the room. I sighed softly and Jacob squeezed my hand before I rested my head on his shoulder, suddenly far more tired than I had felt in weeks. I looked up at Jacob as the other vampires started to disperse from the room and he kissed my forehead once more.

"It's getting late, and Charlie won't be happy if you miss curfew again," he said and I nodded knowing he was right, so, after saying good bye to the Cullens, Bella, and the others that remained in the room Jacob led me out of the room. Jacob made a pit stop, telling Seth to go home as soon as Bella came for Renesmee, and the younger boy nodded his head in response before the two of us headed out to my car.

* * *

Jacob had opted to come inside via the window since Charlie was still up when we arrived at the house. When I walked inside and spotted Charlie in the living room I was thankful that I had left my window unlocked so Jacob didn't have to wait for me to get up to my room because Charlie had a 'we need to talk' look on his face when I spotted him in the living room. However, he didn't look upset with me or anything. He actually looked concerned, almost nervous, and I had no idea why.

"Hi Charlie," I said lightly and he sighed quietly before he gestured me to come into the living room and picked up some papers from where they rested on the coffee table. I took a deep breath before I walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa on Charlie's right while he looked down at the papers in his hands before he turned his head to me. "What's up?" I asked and he took a deep breath.

"I got a phone call today at work," he said slowly, "from Erin Thompson."

"Wait, Mrs. Thompson from California Social Service?" I asked and he nodded sadly before he held out the papers that were in his hands to me.

"She faxed this to me after we talked," he said and frowned as I took the papers from him. He didn't say any more, so, I looked down at the papers and started to read. However, I didn't get any further than the first paragraph of the two page letter before the pages slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor at my feet.

My heart was racing and my mind was spinning as I turned my panic filled eyes to Charlie who was looking at me with a small frown and an even deeper concerned expression on his face. I knew that Jacob, who could likely hear my heart racing and almost feel my panic from upstairs, was fighting every single one of his instincts and not running downstairs to find out what was wrong.

"It's going to be okay, Aurora," Charlie said softly as he reached out and put his right hand on my left knee to comfort me. I didn't know what to think or do really as I sat there frozen on the sofa. There was some guy out there who thought he was my father and after the day I had had my brain was ready to shut down.

"What does that letter mean?" I asked, my voice shaking as my tired and overwhelmed brain did its best to compute what I had just read. "What's going to happen?"

"Right now, nothing is going to change until a DNA test is done to be make sure his allegation is true," Charlie said. "After that Erin said that it's going to be left up to you. You're less than a year from eighteen, and according to that letter that he had his attorney send he's not looking for a custody fight or anything like that. If you're his daughter, he just wants to meet you and maybe have a relationship with you in the future."

Outside of when I was a little girl and wondered where my 'daddy' was, I hadn't really given much thought to ever finding my father. I had had my mom and she'd always been more than enough. Even after she died I hadn't thought about digging into Mom's past to try and see if I could track down my biological father on my own. For the last six and a half months Charlie had been the dad I never had and the only one I would ever want. Now, some guy who thinks he could be my dad wanted a place in my life, but I didn't know if _I _wanted him to.

"And if I don't want to meet him or have any kind of relationship with him?" I asked as tears lined my eyes.

"How about we cross that bridge when we get to it," Charlie said rather than asked. "He might not even be your dad, so, let's just sit on that until we know for sure." I nodded my head before I moved closer to Charlie and hugged him. Charlie had thankfully gotten used to my often out of nowhere hugs or other shows of affection and he was quick to hug me back. I closed my eyes and squeezed him a little tighter as he ran his right hand up and down my back.

"What's going on?" Jacob's strained voice filled the quiet air around us, and I pulled back from Charlie, who didn't look the least bit surprised that Jacob had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Charlie sighed quietly as he picked the discarded letter up from the floor and Jacob gently grabbed my right arm. Jacob pretty much lifted me from the sofa with one hand before he tucked me into his side and looked between Charlie and me. Charlie gave Jacob a summary of what had just happened and his left arm tightened around me while I ran a tired hand down my face.

"When's the test going to happen?" Jacob asked.

"I've got to call this lawyer and arrange it, which I'll do on Monday," Charlie said as he stood and I looked at him. "The sooner we know the better, right?" he asked and I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said quietly and I was pretty sure that the expression 'when it rains, it pours' had never been more accurate.


	45. Chapter 45

Hey everyone! First, I'm sorry it's been forever since I've updated. The last two weeks have been filled with various parties to attend including a baby shower for one of my friends and my cousin's wedding that the boyfriend and I had to drive almost six hours (one way) to attend. Anyway, thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. To those of you that left unsigned guest reviews THANK YOU. I'm really glad you are enjoying the story. I think I responded to everyone that left a signed review, but if I missed you, a big THANK YOU to you too. I'm not sure if this chapter is my best because I've wrote bits and pieces of it at various times throughout the last couple of weeks. However, I hope you like it and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter Forty-Five**

I was exhausted, but once again I couldn't sleep. I was just lying in my bed staring at my bookcase in the dark as I laid on my right side with Jacob's left arm wrapped around my waist and my back pressed solidly against his chest. He wasn't snoring softly like he usually did when he was sleeping, so, I knew he was also awake. He hadn't said a word since the two of us had made our way up to my room and crawled into my bed a little over an hour ago. He'd just held me after I'd gotten ready for bed and crawled under the covers with him, and my mind hadn't stopped spinning since.

The man who claimed to be my father was Roman Grant, according to the letter his lawyer sent over and what information my old social worker was able to gather about him he was some business big wig. He was the CEO of a global marketing firm with its headquarters in London, England and offices in New York, L.A., and several other places around the world. Apparently, he was both a British and U.S. citizen and married . . . for nearly thirty years and had three adult children. Well, four children if I turned out to be his.

When Charlie told me that, I didn't want to believe that my mom could have had an affair with a married man, but Mom had been rather young when she had me. Plus, from what Grandma used to say, Mom had been a very different person before I had come along. So, I guess anything was really possible in the end. However, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea that there was the possibility that I was the product of an illicit affair. Granted, it didn't change who I was or the kind of person I would be in the future, it was just a bit of an unexpected twist to my already roller coaster like life.

I didn't know what role this Roman guy wanted to have in my life because obviously he couldn't exactly welcome me into his family without letting his wife of thirty years and three kids in on the fact that he had had at least one affair during the course of their marriage if he turned out to be my father. I didn't need money from him and I didn't need any sort of father/daughter relationship with him. I had that kind of relationship with Charlie because he had become my dad since I moved in with him, and nothing this Roman guy could say or do was going to change that. However, that was where my anxiety and nerves were brought to a head.

I was worried that Charlie was wrong in saying that Roman wasn't going to put up some sort of legal fight to force me to live with him if I turned out to be his daughter. If that happened, I would be forced to leave Jacob, Charlie, Billy, Edward, Bella, and every single person that I had come to love and care about over the last few months. Part of me knew that it wasn't likely given my age that I would be _forced _to go anywhere with him, but I was still worried that it would happen and if he was half as 'powerful' as he sounded it could happen. I sighed quietly and moved to rest my hand on Jacob's that resting softly on my stomach. I needed to stop psyching myself out, and even though it was the middle of the night I needed Jacob.

"Jacob?" I asked in a soft whisper, knowing he would hear me just fine.

"Yeah?" he asked back just as quietly and sounding just as tired as I felt, but awake. I took a deep breath before I turned around to lay on my left side so I was facing him. His arm had loosened enough around me for me to move, but the second I was settled his hold tightened on me and I raised my right hand to rest on his bare chest.

"I know you're really tired, but can we talk for a few minutes?" I asked quietly, my eyes on my hand rather than up at his face and he softly kissed my forehead.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask. I'm pretty sure I could almost hear your brain working while we've been lying here," he whispered against my forehead before he sighed and pulled his head from mine slightly. "Do you want me to turn on a light?"

"No," I said. "I'd rather just lay here like this if that's okay."

"Whatever you want," he said as he ran his hand up and down my back a few times before he moved it to settle on my right hip.

"If this guy turns out to be my biological father and he wants to meet, Charlie is going to be there with me but I want you there too," I said quietly.

"There's no question that I'll be there, Rory," Jacob said and I scooted even closer to him as I wrapped my arm around his waist and pressed my head against his chest as I closed my eyes. Jacob's hand tightened on my hip for a second before he slid his hand to my lower back and then ran his hand up and down my back once more. "It's all going to work out, Aurora," he said before I felt him press his lips to the top of my head.

"What if it doesn't?" I asked as I lifted my head and turned my face up to his. "What if, just like everything else over the last year, it goes to hell in a hand basket? What if this Roman guy comes in and screws everything up? I'm already worried about everyone surviving the arrival of the Volturi and now I've got to worry about-," I made to continue rattling off my fears when Jacob closed the small distance between us and kissed me soundly.

It was pathetic really how my tense and tight body melted against his as our lips moved together, however, I wasn't going to complain. It was the first time in a long time that I actually felt the tension leave my body as Jacob gently pushed me back, our mouth still fused together, and laid me back against my bed before his much bigger body covered mine. As usual and on their own accord my legs opened to him and I wrapped my legs around his hips, locking my ankles underneath his backside while my arms made their way around his upper waist as I pulled him to me.

It felt like it had been far too long since we found ourselves in this position, and it had been several weeks since we had done more than just sleep side by side in bed. I wanted nothing more than to get rid of our clothes and forget everything that was going on as I lost myself in Jacob and all the good things he made me feel when it was just the two of us. However, Jacob wasn't going to let that happen that night. I could tell by the way he was holding back as he kissed me and how his hands weren't roaming across my body like they usually did when we found ourselves in this situation. And as he slowly brought our kiss to an end and started to pull away with me I knew I had been right.

"You need to stop worrying and stop it now," Jacob said as his left hand lifted from the pillow beside my head and cupped the right side of my face while his body remained on top of mine with my legs and arms still locked around him. "Just a few weeks ago you were the one that convinced me it was all going to work out. Where's that girl?"

"Scared out of her mind," I admitted, sounding breathless as I spoke the words.

"Don't be," he said as he ran his thumb across my cheek. "Everything is going to work out and you'll have done all this worrying for nothing, baby. It's starting to take its toll on you, and I don't like what it's doing to you."

"I know," I said and Jacob sighed as he returned his hand to the bed and leaned in to me. He kissed me again, but it was a soft chaste kiss before he pressed his forehead to mine.

"Live in the right now, Aurora, and don't focus on tomorrow until it gets here," he said after a few quiet beats and he lifted his head. I couldn't see as well as he could in the dark, but we'd been lying in it long enough that my eyes were adjusted and I could see the concerned look on his face as he looked down at me. I knew he was right. I was only going to make myself sick if I continued to worry over every little thing, and what good would I be to anyone if that happened?

"Okay," I said quietly, "but I might need you to keep reminding me to do that." He let out a soft breathy chuckle that vibrated through my body and goose bumps race across my skin.

"I think I can do that," he said quietly with a smile on his lips that even in the dark made my heart skip a beat. I slid my right hand up his back and laced my fingers in his short dark hair before I pulled his head to mine and kissed him slowly. I unlocked my legs from around his hips and slid my calves along his thighs, his boxers the only barrier between our skin, as I returned my feet to the bed, but kept Jacob settled between my legs. "Aurora," he pretty much moaned quietly as he tore his lips from mine and buried his face in the crook of my neck. His hot breath fanned across my skin in fast soft pants and I could feel that our closeness and that last kiss had affected him a little more than he likely wanted it to.

"Sorry," I whispered as I played with his hair and he chuckled as he lifted his head and looked up at me once again with an incredulous look on his face that was easy for me to see in the dark. "I am," I said, a smile coming to my lips and he chuckled yet again before he shook his head and pressed a hard kiss to my lips. He pulled away before I could return the kiss and not a second later Jacob was back lying on his side of the bed with his arm around me as he tucked my body into his chest. I smiled slightly as I snuggled into his chest, my arm wrapping around his waist, before I placed a kiss against his skin. "Thank you, Jacob," I said and he said nothing in response because he knew why I was thanking him. He just placed a love filled kiss on the top of my head and it was then that my exhaustion finally hit me full force, and not a minute later I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Thanksgiving came and went without much fanfare, but it had been a bit awkward thanks to the whole Roman Grant 'life complication' as I had taken to calling it. However, Sue had caught on early that I didn't want to talk about it and after a few questions thrown my way by Seth, Sue had redirected the conversation with a stern look at her son and the subject died and the rest of the day went well. Leah and I had even had a good time together doing the dishes.

We'd been getting along better since the events during the night of Renesmee's birth and I'd like to think that the two of us were friends and the fact that we had laughed and joked our way through the mountain of dishes we had to do, my presumption was confirmed. Also, we surprised everyone by agreeing to go Christmas shopping on Saturday, which was why I was dressed warmly and spending the rather chilly, windy, and wet day with Leah in Port Angeles.

"I don't know what to get Jacob. I have an idea of what I'm going to get everyone else, but whenever I think about what I'm going to get for Jacob I draw a blank," I confessed as we walked through the third shop that we entered that day and turned my eyes to the russet skinned girl beside me. Who, despite rolling her eyes, smiled at me as she shook her head and tucked her chin length hair behind her left ear.

"I'm pretty sure whatever you get him he'll like it, Aurora," Leah said as the two of us went over into the women's clothing section of the store. During the drive Leah had mentioned wanting to get her mom a few new shirts and a couple sweaters for Christmas since it had been a long time since Sue had bought something new and nice for herself. I'd already bought Melody, Gina, Cora, Derek, Owen, Lynn, and Charlie's gift so far, which was why I was toting around several bags while Leah only had one. So far, she'd only bought Seth his gift and it a chess set. Renesmee, yes Renesmee, was teaching him how to play and he could do with a great deal of practice when he wasn't at the Cullens', which was why Leah had bought him a really nice wooden set that he was going to love.

"I know, but I want it to be something that will knock his socks off," I said as I started to look through a rack of nice blouses beside Leah. "He's done so much for me, put up with so much because of me, that I want to get him something that will show him just how much I appreciate it; and then there's his birthday in January." I shook my head as I sighed quietly before I turned my eyes to Leah, who happened to look at me at the same time. "I just wish that things weren't so crazy right now. That we didn't have all this crap going on and that things could be normal for change rather than one life threatening or life alternating event after another, you know?"

"You are aware that without out all the extra stuff going on that our lives wouldn't be exactly normal anyway, right?" she asked and I laughed as I nodded my head.

"Oh, I know, but that kind of stuff I'm already used to. To me that's normal," I said with a wave of my hand and Leah laughed quietly as she shook her head. "You should do that more often," I said as I smiled at her and she raised a dark eyebrow at me, her brown eyes curious.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Laugh and smile," I said. "Doing that suits you much better than scowling all the time. You've gotten better at it over the last couple of months."

"It helps that Sam isn't in my head all the time now," she said quietly as she turned her eyes away from me and started going through the clothes once again.

"I can't really imagine that that was easy for you," I said just as quietly and she lifted her eyes to my face once more.

"It wasn't, and even though he's not in my head anymore it still isn't easy," she said and I gave her a sad smile before I walked over so I was standing beside her, our eyes pretty much even since Leah was only a smidge taller than me.

"It also can't be easy having a bunch of teenage boys' voices inside your head," I said and she scoffed a laugh as she shook her head negatively. "Look, I know you don't exactly have an overwhelming number of girlfriends that you can talk to and while I know you have your mom and that Sue is great and everything, but she's also your mom. I doubt you're comfortable telling her _everything_ that goes on in your life." Leah just continued to look at me, a curious expression back on her face, and I smiled at her once more. "What I'm trying to say is that even though I'm four years younger than you, you can talk to me about whatever it is you want to talk about."

"Thanks," she said after a few quiet beats and I smiled at her before I started to look through the clothes again, searching for something that I thought Sue would like to suggest to Leah.

We waded through several racks in that shop and found several things, most of which happened to be on sale and quite a few that weren't, that Leah said her mom would love. When we did the math prior to going to the register, Leah was severely short and was ready to put a lot of what she had selected for Sue back but I stepped in then. I offered to cover most of it, and at first she fought with me on it. However, when I told her that the clothes could be from the both of us since I didn't know what to get Sue either she caved and agreed to my little deal.

When we left the shop we were weighed down rather heavily with our bags, so, we decided to drop them off at my car before finding a place to grab some lunch. However, after doing that I spotted a salon nearby and stopped in front of it before I looked at Leah. She looked at the sign and then raised her eyebrows as she looked at me and the bright smile that was on my face.

"What do you want to do in there?" Leah asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I've been thinking about getting my hair cut for a while now and since I'm here I might as well get my hair done," I said with a smile.

"How short," Leah asked before she continued, "because honestly Jake really likes your hair long."

"Don't worry, I don't plan on going too short," I said as I shook my head. "I could never rock your length of hair nearly as good as you because my hair's too curly and I don't have your cheekbones or jawline." Leah actually blushed when I complimented her and I laughed before I reached out and took her very warm hand into my chilled one. "Come on. You're getting your hair and nails done with me. My treat."

"My hair can't get much shorter," she said and I rolled my eyes.

"You've got in a bob, and you can still have it styled without losing too much more length," I said with a smile. "Come on, Leah, for the first time in a year and a half I want you to be the girl that you are and not think about any of the crap that we are dealing with right now. Sound good to you?" I asked with both of my eyebrows raised and when Leah slowly smiled at me I knew she was fully on board with my plan.

* * *

When Leah and I walked out of the salon my far too long hair was no more and my loose curls now fell to rest just pass my shoulders with a few layered strands framing my face. It was a bit shorter than it had been when I had first arrived in Forks, but I knew from the grin Leah gave me that Jacob would like it. I liked it and that was all that mattered, but a part of me still wanted Jacob to like it too.

While her simple bob had been nice, Leah looked absolutely amazing when the stylist was finished with her hair. It was simple razor cut with wispy strands and added volume thanks to the way it was cut. Leah loved it too and it would be easy for her to style it herself since it was really low maintenance. It had felt great to have my nails professionally done for a change, and Leah had never had hers done so it was a treat for her that she said she surprisingly enjoyed.

"I don't know about you, but I am starving," I said as I looked at Leah and ran my dry nails through my freshly cut hair and Leah snorted.

"You know I'm always hungry, Aurora," she said and I smiled at her.

"There was that diner place we passed when we were on our way to that last store," I said as I gestured in the restaurant's direction. "You want to go there?"

"Sure," she said and we shared a laugh before we started down the street towards the diner. When we neared the place, much to my great surprise, Leah had ran right into a guy that had just gotten out of the passenger side door of a car that had just parked along the side of the street. I gasped at the unexpected impact and looked at the pair with wide eyes. The guy had easily caught Leah around the waist and I opened my mouth to ask both of them if they were okay; however, my voice died in my throat when I saw the look on Leah's face as she looked up at the guy.

"_Seriously? I thought that it was supposed to be rare?"_ I thought to myself as I looked at her completely surprise filled face and her flushed cheeks. Slowly, I turned my eyes to the guy only to see that the look on his face mirrored Leah's and I was sure to suppress my smile as I studied the man.

He didn't look much older than Leah, maybe around the same age or a year or two older. I could tell that his hair was shaved underneath the knit cap he was wearing, and it was obvious that he was just as built as Jacob was because of the way his coat fit him. He had dark green eyes and tanned skin that was a shade lighter than Leah, who he was still holding on to, and he had a nose that might have been considered big by some people but it was very proportionate to his face. He had a strong square jaw line, cleft chin, and while he wasn't as good looking as Jacob (in my opinion anyway) he was still _very _good looking. And the smile that slowly made its way across his face as he looked down at Leah revealed a pair of deep dimples in both of his cheeks.

"Man, you're not even in town for a full forty-eight hours and you've already got the ladies falling over you," an unknown voice said and I looked away from Leah and the guy that was obviously her imprint to the source of the voice. The guy was actually a little shorter than both Leah and I, and his smile revealed a slightly crooked set of teeth and he had slightly curly sandy blonde hair sticking out from under the baseball cap he was wearing. He wasn't nearly as good looking or as put together as his friend since he was lithe and thin, however, the wink and grin he shot me made me raise an eyebrow. Obviously, he didn't lack any bit of confidence.

"Sorry about that," Leah muttered quietly as she slowly, and rather reluctantly, pulled away from the man's gentle grip.

"Uh, no worries," the man said, his voice deep and laced with a distinct southern twang that I knew was purely Texan thanks to the past trips that Mom and I used to take.

"So, where are you girls headed?" the second guy asked, his eyes lingering a bit too long on my jean clad legs for my liking. However, I'd put up with him if it meant Leah got to connect a little more with the guy who was still openly staring at her.

"The diner for lunch," I said as I gestured to the building just a building down, drawing the guy's eyes back up to my face. "We're taking a break in our Christmas shopping."

"Well, that's where we're headed," the guy said with a grin before he turned to his taller friend and raised an eyebrow when he finally noticed that his friend was still looking at Leah. "What do you say to us joining you?" he asked after he turned his attention back to me.

"I'll leave that up to Leah," I said as I shuffled a little closer to her, so, the guy would hopefully get the hint that I wasn't the least bit interested in him. "What do you think, Leah?" I asked her. She looked at me and bit her lower lip.

I could see the nervousness and slight panic in her eyes, and I remembered a conversation I had had with Jacob when I had asked him about his friends when we first met. I'd been especially curious about Leah since she seemed so angry and almost out of place really amongst the guys. She was the only female spirit warrior in Quileute history, and it was unknown if she would ever imprint or even have children. She worried about both those things, and now that she found out she didn't have to worry about one of those she didn't know how to react. I gave her an encouraging smile and tried to convey that it would be okay with my eyes, and thankfully I think she got the message as she let go of her lower lip, took a deep breath through her nose, and turned her eyes back to the green eyed guy who was _still_ staring at her.

"Sure," she said lightly and the guy smiled before he held his hand out to her.

"I'm Liam," he said quietly, seemingly specifically introducing himself to Leah rather than the both of us. Leah blushed lightly before she raised her right hand and put her hand into his to shake.

"Leah," she said, introducing herself before she let go of his hand and then looked to me, "and this is my friend, Aurora." I smiled brightly at Leah calling me her friend and turned my eyes to Liam who finally managed to tear his eyes away from Leah to look at me.

"Hi," I said as I waved my hand, my smile still bright as I looked up at Leah's imprint.

"And I'm Evan," the other boy said, drawing all our eyes to him. "Now that everybody knows everybody, what do you say we go in? It's freaking cold out here today."

"You three go ahead," I said as I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and Leah looked at me with the slight panic back in her eyes. However, I just smiled at her. "I promised Jacob I'd call him around lunch time," I said as I held up my phone. "It won't be a long call. He just wanted me to call him to let him know we were doing okay." Leah sighed quietly and nodded her head before she tucked her hair behind her ears and looked back at Liam and then at me once again.

"We'll get a table then," she said.

"Okay," I said with a smile before Leah and Liam started walking to the diner, but Evan lingered behind.

"So, who's Jacob? Is he your brother or something?" Evan asked and I looked up after unlocking my phone.

"He's my boyfriend actually," I said and he raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing that I had a boyfriend for some reason.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded.

"Really," I said before I raised my phone and showed him the screen that contained a photograph of Jacob and me. It had been a photo Melody took of us in San Diego as Jacob and I posed along the shore. Jacob was standing behind me with his arms around my waist. Both of us had big smiles on our faces and my hands rested over both of his that linked together and resting on my upper stomach, just under my chest. "That's Jacob," I said and Evan opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times, looking almost like a fish.

"Uh, he's a b-b-big guy," Evan finally managed to stutter out as I lowered my phone and he looked at me. I laughed lightly and nodded my head.

"Yeah, he's about six-seven," I said and Evan blinked a few times as he looked at me.

"Wow," he said before he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Um, I'm just going to head in."

"Okay," I said with another nod and a small smile. I watched Evan walk away, well jog really, before he disappeared into the diner, and I laughed quietly as I dialed Jacob's number and brought the phone up to my ear.

"_Hey, everything okay in Port Angeles?"_ Jacob asked upon answering his phone and I smiled.

"Yeah, everything's good," I said with a chuckle, "but you're not going to believe what just happened."

"_What?"_ he asked.

"First, I just want to tell you that your picture just scared off a guy that I'm pretty sure thought he stood a chance to hook up with me," I said and, as expected, I heard a low growl emanate from my boyfriend on the other end of the phone.

"_I knew I should have let you go on your own today,"_ he said and I rolled my eyes.

"You didn't _let_ me do anything, Jacob, and I'm not alone. Leah's with me and that brings me back to what I want to talk to you about."

"_Okay,"_ he said slowly.

"Leah imprinted."


	46. Chapter 46

Hey everyone! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your reviews for the last chapter. I am SO happy that you guys liked it! In this chapter you're going to learn a little bit more about Leah's imprint. Sadly, there isn't much Jacob/Aurora moments in this chapter, but there will be in the next chapter and there will be a little more going on in the next chapter. I hope you all like this chapter, and as always please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

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**Chapter Forty-Six**

After Jacob stumbled through several shock filled questions, I joined Leah, Liam, and Evan in the diner. Thankfully, Evan was sitting next to his friend in the booth by the window Leah had selected, but Liam was sitting across from Leah; which mean that I would be stuck sitting across from Evan. I sat down beside Leah, putting my purse in between us before I shrugged out of my jacket and removed my scarf from my neck, settling the soft fabric on my lap.

"Sorry it took me so long," I said as I smiled at Leah. "Jacob wanted to play twenty questions before we hung up. Sadly, I couldn't answer half of them yet."

"I ordered you water to drink since you were taking forever," Leah said, her voice tight, and I scoffed a quiet laugh before I rolled my eyes. There was no doubt that she'd caught on that I was trying to subtle say that I'd told Jacob about her imprinting, and she really wasn't all that happy about it. However, I really didn't care because Leah would have kept it to herself for as long as she could; which knowing Leah would have been up until the day she and Liam got married or something.

"I didn't take that long," I said before I picked up the laminated menu that had been placed on the table in front of where I was to be sitting. My eyes moved to Liam then, just to survey the guy a little more.

He'd taken off his hat revealing that he had a little more hair than I thought and it was light medium brown in color. The back and the sides were very short but the top was a bit longer (the cut almost like Jacob's just a bit shorter), but I'd been right about how in shape he was. The dark brown long sleeved thermal shirt he was wearing fit him well and revealed large biceps and a very strong looking chest, and the pushed up sleeves of his shirt showed off strong looking forearms. Liam looked at me after a few beats and I smiled at him.

"So, Liam, given your accent I'm going to assume you're either just visiting or that you're a new resident to the area," I said. My initial shyness when meeting new people had long ago left me thanks to Jacob and all the people I had come to meet since my arrival in Forks, and since Leah was being quiet one of us needed to strike up the conversation.

"It's that obvious, huh?" he asked, a grin coming to his lips as he looked at me.

"You don't hear a southern draw like that around here all that often," I said, my thoughts going to Jasper and the similar accent he had when he actually spoke, but I pushed the thoughts away. "You're from Texas, right?" I asked and Liam chuckled and nodded his head.

"Yeah," he said with a slow smile. "I've just moved up here actually and I'm temporarily living with my cousin here and his folks until I find a job and an apartment or something." His eyes flickered to Leah as he spoke, but he was quick to return his eyes to me. I smiled at him once again and nodded before I tucked my hair behind my ear. I certainly wouldn't have pegged Liam and Evan for cousins, or even related in any form for that matter, but I really shouldn't have been all that surprised. After all, aside from height, Mom hadn't really shared any common traits with Charlie either.

"So, uh, do you girls live around here? I haven't seen either of you around before," Evan said and I looked at him. Evan was no longer grinning at me in the flirty manner he had been outside; however, he did look genuinely curious. Maybe he noticed that his cousin seemed to be into Leah and vice versa.

"We don't live in Port Angeles, but we come here to catch a movie or to have a little more variety of stores to shop in," I said. "I live in Forks and Leah lives in La Push."

"Where's that?" Liam asked and I looked at him.

"About an hour southwest from here," I said. "La Push is on the reservation and along the western shore." I added that last bit because I knew Liam couldn't have cared less where Forks was. The way he glanced at Leah when I said that we lived about an hour away told me all he really cared about was just exactly where La Push was.

"You're Native American then?" Evan asked as he looked at Leah, and she nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "Quileute to be specific, but I'm also part Makah on my mom's side."

"Cool," Liam said with a small smile, drawing Leah's attention to him. She blushed lightly and smiled softly at him before she once again nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. The waitress brought our drink orders then before she took our food orders: Evan getting a club sandwich while Liam, Leah, and I all got cheeseburgers and fries. "How do you two know each other?" Liam asked after the waitress took the menus and left.

"Leah works security on the reservation with my boyfriend, Jacob," I said when Leah didn't answer his question right away. "We met through him when Jacob and I started hanging out," I finished before I took a drink of my ice water and sat it back down on the table.

"You work security?" Liam asked, eyebrows raised as he looked at Leah, and she nodded her head.

"It's an unpaid thing we do for the tribal elders," Leah said as she shrugged her shoulders and gently turned the glass of orange soda the waitress had sat in front of her. "We sort of just make sure tourists or visitors to the beaches and piers pick up their trash and respect the land when they visit. Nothing really all that major or anything." Her cheeks were pink as she used the blanket excuse that they all gave when describing what they did when they went on 'patrol' to 'outsiders' that asked.

"Do you do anything else?" Liam asked and I was happy to just sit back and watch the two of them talk.

"Not right now," Leah said as she shook her head, "but I've been thinking about starting to take some classes at the community college here in Port Angeles."

"You have?" I asked, completely surprised by that since I hadn't heard her mention that before, and Leah turned her brown eyes to me.

"Yeah," she said. "Jake told me about what you plan to do next fall and everything, and I thought I might sign up with you and take a few classes. I figure I can't exactly make a living working for the elders, so, I need to do something to get a decent job in the future." I smiled at her and Leah smiled back before she returned her eyes to Liam, who was also smiling softly as he looked at Leah. The conversation quieted then and I chanced a glance at Evan to see his attention was focused on his cell phone, and I was glad for it. I certainly didn't want to have to entertain him while Liam and Leah got to know each other. I would much rather remain part of their conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking, Liam, what made you move up to Port Angeles?" I asked and he looked at me. His eyes were guarded and it was like he was debating what he was going to say in answer to my question, but I just kept my expression open and curious. I had nothing to hide because I really was wondering what would have made a guy move from hot and sunny Texas to the part of Washington State that was perpetually cloudy and cool and/or cold nine to ten months out of the year.

"I was in the Marines for almost ten years. I was honorably discharged back in September," Liam said, surprising me with the fact that he was actually older than I had originally thought, "and Evan and his folks are really the only family I've got left. Now that I'm not in the military anymore I thought it would be a good idea to move up here to be closer to them." I was not going to comment on the part where he said that Evan and Evan's parents were the only family he had because I could relate and that wasn't exactly the kind of conversation you'd have with someone you had just met. However, I couldn't ignore the fact that he'd been in the Marines for a long time and likely had served tours over in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Thank you very much for your service to our country and making the sacrifices I know you undoubtedly had to make during your time in the military," I said in complete seriousness and Liam's still slightly guarded gaze softened as he looked at me, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. Out of the corner of my left eye I saw Evan look up from his phone and I felt Leah shift slightly in her seat beside me.

"First, thank you for that, and second, aren't you a little young to know about all that stuff?" he asked and I laughed lightly, which made him smile.

"I'm not _that _young," I said. "I'm seventeen, and I'm not stupid. I watch the news and read." Liam chuckled and nodded his head.

"Fair enough," he said before his eyes found their way to Leah once more, and I watched his expression as his eyes seemed to sweep over her face. There was no doubt he was attracted to Leah, but he was also interested her. "What about you, Leah?" he asked her gently and Leah blinked a few times as she looked at him before she shrugged slightly.

"I don't get much time to read or watch TV really," she said and Liam smiled at her, his dimples on full display once again, before he shook his head.

"I don't either really, but what I meant was, how old are you?" he asked and Leah's cheeks darkened a bit before she nervously ran her fingers through her hair.

"Oh, sorry," she said and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"It's alright," he said. "I could have probably been a little clearer when I asked the question." She smiled at him then, and I swear looking at Leah in that moment I had never seen the girl more relaxed or _so happy_ before.

"I'm twenty-one," she said, finally answering his question, and Liam's smile remained fully on his face. It was then that the waitress arrived with our food and as we all dug in to our selected meals, the conversation flowed easily from there.

* * *

"God, Leah, he's _cute,"_ I whispered to her as we walked down the street after parting company with Evan and Liam. The guys had somewhere to be, we hadn't wanted to ask where, but we went our separate ways Liam had made it known that he didn't really want to leave or really go to wherever it was they had to go. However, Liam didn't leave before he exchanged cell phone numbers with Leah. "And he's got one hell of a body to go with that face. You are one lucky, lucky girl Leah Clearwater."

"Shut up," Leah hissed at me, her cheeks vibrantly red as she put her cell phone into the pocket of the light jacket she was wearing and the two of us made our way to my car. Evan honked the horn of his car as they drove pass us on the road and I laughed as Leah's cheeks only darkened.

"He's also really nice, respectful, and totally into you," I said and Leah gave me a pointed look. "What?"

"He was probably just being polite," Leah said. "It's different for the other person. He might be interested, but it might not turn into any kind of relationship." She shook her head and increased her pace down the street. I had no idea where she was going since she wasn't heading toward my car, however, I was quick to follow after her because she was completely wrong in her way of thinking.

"Hold up, Leah," I said when I caught up with her and wrapped my right hand around her left arm before I managed to tug her to a stop and moved so I was standing in front of her, my back to the street. "He wasn't just being polite and I can tell you from firsthand experience that he feels something that's similar to what you felt when your eyes met his," I said as I lowered my hand from around her arm. "It's not as intense or as instant, but there's something here. Jacob made my heart skip a beat pretty much from the first moment he uttered my name, and I was drawn to him from day one."

"But that didn't stop you from thinking he was a freak because of the whole _genetic _thing," she said, amending her reference to their shape shifting ability because of the people passing us by on the street.

"I didn't think he was a freak. I've never thought he was a freak, and I've never thought any of you were freaks because of it," I said as I shook my head. "I was overwhelmed and confused. At the time, I'd gone through a lot and I was completely out of my element. I was just getting my legs under me in a new town and living with people I didn't know. I believed him because after hearing the legends everything that was different about Jacob totally made sense, but I just didn't know how to handle everything. So, my instincts just had me put some distance between us and you know that that didn't last very long."

"I don't have the best temper, Aurora. I'm not as bad as Paul can be sometimes, but my control isn't as good as Jacob's and I don't want to scare Liam away before I get a chance to get to know him better," she admitted, her brown eyes sad as she looked at me, and I gave her an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, Leah, I don't think you'll scare him away; and if you want help controlling your temper, I do yoga every now and then. I always feel very Zen when I'm done, and it might help you. We can do the videos I have together and I can teach you a few moves that I sometimes do on my own." Leah snorted a laugh, but smiled as she looked at me.

"Do you think you have the patience to actually do that?" she asked through a grin and I laughed lightly as I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I think I do," I said.

"What about Liam? Do you think he'll be able to handle everything once I actually tell him?" Leah asked and once again I nodded.

"Yeah, he will because when you're with him you're not like the Leah I first met when Jacob introduced us. I saw the girl that I think you were before everything happened, and he'll see that too if you give him a chance. And once he sees how great you are, he's not going to let _anything_ stand in the way of the two of you being together."

"You think?" she asked and I nodded before I reached out and took her left hand into mine, squeezing it slightly.

"Yep. Plus, he's a big bad Marine after all. I'm sure he can handle the baggage you carry because he's probably got plenty of his own that you're going to have to help him lug around too," I said and Leah gave me a small smile before she squeezed my hand this time around and let go of it. I smiled back at her before I tucked my hands into my jacket pockets while she let out a soft sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You may have just given me the pep talk that I needed, but I'm still pissed at you for telling Jacob," she said and I laughed lightly.

"I know I probably shouldn't have told Jacob because he's likely already told the others guys and everyone undoubtedly already knows about you and Liam, but I was excited for you. You shouldn't be mad at me because if you think about it I did you a favor," I said as I pulled my hands out of the pockets of my jacket and crossed my arms in front of my chest. Leah raised a dark eyebrow as she looked at me and smirked.

"A favor?" she asked doubtfully and I nodded my head vigorously.

"Yeah," I said. "Now, you don't have to say anything to the guys and hopefully the shock will have worn on by the time we get home and you'll only have to deal with their teasing jokes rather than having them stare at you with their mouths hanging open." Leah rolled her eyes at me before she shook her head and laughed. I laughed with her as I uncrossed my arms and shrugged my shoulders. "You know it's true. Jacob was quiet for a good two minutes when I told him. I just wish I could have seen his face."

"I wish I could Sam's face when he finds out," Leah said, her smile remaining on her face and no trace of the usual pain in her eyes that followed saying or even thinking Sam's name. "You want to know what made it so hard having Sam in my head all the time, Aurora?" The unexpected question threw me, but I was quick to realize that despite the moment of insecurity she had after Liam had left this Leah was a much different Leah than the one I had left Forks with that morning. This Leah looked like she no longer carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, and just like in the diner I was certain that this was the way Leah was before the disaster with Sam and Emily had changed her life forever.

"Only if you want to tell me," I said, my voice going quiet, and she gave me a sad smile before she nodded her head.

"Part of him still cares about me," she said, and I really wasn't all that surprised by that. "He cares about me, but his love for Emily trumped any feelings he still had for me. That was why when Jacob broke from his pack I jumped at the chance to join him. Well, that and because of Seth. I couldn't let him go off on his own." She let out a soft bitter laugh before she shook her head again and took a deep breath. "You have no idea how many times I wished for this to happen, Aurora," she said. "To break the connection I had to Sam and to just stop feeling like a pathetic ex that couldn't let him go.

"Well, now you don't have to even think about Sam or anything like that anymore because that connection is broken," I said and Leah smiled at me as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, it is," she said before we both heard her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. Leah quickly pulled her phone out only to gasp and I watched her eyes go wide as she looked at the screen.

"What?" I asked.

"It's Liam," she whispered as she looked at me.

"Well, answer it," I said with a laugh and after a second Leah did just that.

"Hello?" she asked, bringing the phone to her ear after hitting the 'accept' button on her phone. "Hi Liam," she said after a short pause and I smiled when I saw her cheeks darken. "Of course I gave you my real number," she said before she laughed lightly and I watched as she continued to smile but bit her lip. "I'd like that," she said, her tone going gentle. "I can meet you if you want or -," she stopped speaking and smiled fully before she once again laughed softly. "Okay, I can text you directions to help you find it," she said before she paused again and nodded her head. "Okay," she said again. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she glanced at me.

"You got a date already?" I mouthed and her cheeks darkened all the more before she nodded.

"Me too," she said. "Bye Liam." After a beat she hung up her phone and looked at me with a bright smile. "I can't believe that just happened," she said and I laughed before I linked my right arm with her left.

"Looks like our Christmas shopping will have to wait because _you_ need a new outfit," I said before I started pulling her down the street.

"Aurora, I don't really have-," she started but I interrupted her.

"My treat," I said and she gave me a look.

"You've already covered too much stuff for me today, including lunch, I'm not letting you buy me an outfit," she said.

"Okay, well, how about it can be your Christmas gift," I said. "I haven't gotten yours yet and you can just have it early." She pursed her lips as she looked at me, but the two of us continued to walk. She didn't argue with me after that and I pulled her into a shop that I knew from previous shopping excursions wasn't expensive and would have items to fit Leah's tall athletic frame. "This is going to be fun," I said happily and Leah only gave me another pointed, yet slightly fearful, look in response.

* * *

When Leah and I arrived at the Cullens' house that early evening I was smiling and in the best mood I had been in in weeks, hell, probably months. "You seriously need to take it down a notch," Leah said as we climbed out of my car and I looked at her as I walked around the front of it and towards her. "The way you're acting you think it was you that was going on my date tomorrow."

"I can't help it," I said. "I'm going to hold on to the happy for as long as I possibly can before something else happens and it all goes down the drain. It's been one thing after another lately, and you imprinting has been the best thing to happen in months. I'm going to use this bit of good news to avoid thinking of all the other crap I've got piled on my plate right now."

"Jacob's around back," Leah said when I headed for the stairs and I smiled at her in thanks before the two of us started walking around the house rather than through it. Leah wasn't exactly comfortable _inside_ the Cullens' house lately with all of the vampire guests that had taken up residence within the house. "Will you help me get ready tomorrow?" Leah asked as we walked and I looked at her. "Liam's supposed to be by around noon, but I know Charlie and Mom won't mind if you stay the night. That way you don't have to get up really early and drive down to La Push."

"I'd love to help you get ready," I said and Leah gave me a grateful smile as we rounded the back of the house. However, Leah stopped walking and I did too, turning to look at her in the process. "Something wrong?" I asked and she shook her head.

"No, but Jake's not alone," she said, her eyes moving pass me. I turned and followed her gaze to see Jacob standing with Bella, Emmett, Edward, Garrett, and Kate. The five vampires and Jacob were all looking at us. I sighed quietly before I turned back to Leah, holding out my car keys to her.

"Why don't you take my car to your place and unload your bags," I said. "Jacob can bring me by tonight and I can get my car."

"You sure?" she asked as she looked at my keys and then at me.

"Yeah, and I doubt Sue's heard about Liam yet. You should go tell her," I said and Leah gave me a small smile before she took my keys from my hand.

"Thanks, Aurora," she said and I smiled back at her as I nodded my head. Leah turned around and jogged back to the front of the house while I headed towards the small group gathered in the backyard. I smiled at them all as I tightened my scarf around my neck and ran my fingers through my hair as I came to a stop.

"Hey guys," I said.

"What did you do to your hair?" Bella surprised me by asking with her eyes wide and I laughed lightly as I fingered the shortened locks with my right hand.

"I cut it," I said as I lowered my hand. "It was getting too long and I was starting to look like a lion. I needed to tame it down a bit and it all went to a good cause. The salon Leah and I went to donates hair to a cancer support group that creates wigs. Does it look bad or something?"

"Quite the contrary, my human friend," Garrett said and I looked at him. "It suits you very well." He gave me a charming smile and I laughed lightly once more before I heard Jacob growl. I continued to smile but rolled my eyes as I looked to my boyfriend who was glaring at Garrett with his fists clenched at his sides.

Out of all my newly formed friendships, Jacob disapproved of my friendship with Garrett the most and Garrett knew it; which was why he sometimes sent a flirty comment my way when Jacob was around despite his obvious interest and budding relationship with Kate. Of course he meant nothing by his words. He just enjoyed getting a rise out of Jacob, and if the grin that was on Kate's face was any indication, she was also in on Garrett's idea of fun.

"Thank you, Garrett," I said before I closed the distance between Jacob and me and settled myself into his right side. He was quick to wrap his arm around my back and I sighed quietly as I nearly curled into his warmth, enjoying the feel of his radiating heat to put an end to the chill I had been feeling all day when I'd been outside. "So, what are you guys doing out here?" I asked.

"Kate is going to try and teach me how to project my shield," Bella said and my eyebrows rose as I looked from my cousin and to the tall blonde vampire.

"She can do that?" I asked and Kate smiled at me.

"Gifts like Bella's and mine can be developed," Kate said. "For me, it started only in my palms. Now I can radiate it all over my body."

"If Bella is able to project her shield, she might be able to protect us from Alec and Jane's gifts," Edward said.

"Cool," I said, not really knowing what else to say and not wanting to think about the two scary vampires. I was determined to keep my happy high going and thinking about them would pop that bubble rather quickly. All the vampires and Jacob laughed at my single word declaration and I smiled while Kate turned her attention to Bella.

"How did lunch go?" Jacob asked, his voice a soft whisper in my ear, and I smiled as I looked up at him.

"Great," I said just as quietly. "You probably heard us talking, but Leah's already got a date with Liam tomorrow and I'm going to help her get ready."

"Good," Jacob said, a warm smile on his face before he leaned down and kissed me chastely, his arm tightening around me as he pulled his lips away from mine. I was tempted to pout to get him to kiss me again, but I held back the urge and turned my attention to Bella and Kate.

"You need to visualize it," Kate said as Edward moved to stand beside Kate. "See how it moves." An intense look of concentration settled on Bella's face and I wrapped my arm around Jacob's lower back to rest more comfortably at his side. "What color it is." Kate paused again and my eyes remained on Bella who was staring at the ground, her brow slightly furrowed and her lips pursed. "Now, picture it expanding. Will it to go beyond you." Bella let out a breath barely a second after Kate finished her sentence and while I didn't see anything I could _feel_ a slight change in the air around us before it was gone just as quickly as it came. Bella sighed heavily and looked at Edward briefly in disappointment. "I think she needs something to motivate her."

"Like what?" I asked before Edward's gaze caught mine. I knew then what Kate was likely thinking and my eyes widened. Edward gave me a small reassuring smile before he moved so he was standing in front of Kate.

"No," Bella said quickly as she took a step towards her husband and Kate, but Edward stopped her.

"It's all right, I can take it," Edward said.

"He says that now," Garrett said.

"Focus, Bella, or he's gonna be hurting," Emmett chimed in and panic flashed across Bella's face. Edward turned so he was facing Kate completely and raised his right hand, fingers bent slightly and shoulders squared. Kate raised her right hand as well, her hand open and her palm at the ready to cover Edward's hand.

"Edward, I'm not ready to do this yet," Bella said quickly, but Kate took hold of Edward's hand before Bella had even finished her sentence. Edward let out a quiet cry of pain as he bent over slightly and my heart lurched in my chest at the sight, which only made Jacob's arm tighten around me. He knew that I loved Edward like a brother, and I didn't like seeing him in pain and when he fell to the ground, grunting in pain, I winced and sighed quietly.

"I'm sorry!" Bella said. "I said that I wasn't ready." Edward gave her an incredulous look as he panted slightly as he slowly got to his feet.

"Dude, you're not motivating her," Emmett said.

"You want to try?" Edward asked sharply as he got back to his feet and Garrett smirked and Jacob chuckled while Emmett held up his hands in defeat with a look on his face that pretty much said 'no thanks.'

"You can do it, Bella," I said as I moved away from Jacob's side and walked over to Bella, stopping to stand on her left. She looked at me and just like with Leah earlier that day I gave Bella an encouraging smile. "I know you can do it. Just concentrate and focus on what it is you want to do; who you want to protect." Bella took an unnecessary deep breath as she nodded her head before she looked away from me, pursed her lips, and a look of concentration settled on her face once more. After a second that same feeling of change in the air hit me and I knew that she must be projecting her shield. Suddenly, Kate reached up and put her hand on Edward's neck before the familiar buzz of her electrical current echoed through the air. Edward let out a cry of pain and bent over slightly.

"Kate!" Bella said firmly and the blonde slowly removed her hand from Edward's neck.

"You seem to lack incentive," Kate said, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was ready to goad Bella, to anger her, and from the slight snarl of Bella's upper lip it was already working. "Perhaps we should try this with Aurora," Kate said and Bella's hands clenched into fists at her side. Before I could say anything, however, Jacob's arm was around my waist and I was quickly pulled to him, my back pressed against his chest while his right arm remained firmly around my upper waist.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Jacob said, a tone of finality in his voice that made Kate grin before she returned her golden eyes to Bella.

"All right, shall I go see if Renesmee's awake?" Kate asked and Bella took a step closer to her.

"Are you crazy?" Bella asked as Edward stood fully, standing at Bella's left, and let out a soft sigh as he turned to face Kate.

"All right," Kate said as she raised her hand yet again. "This one's on full power." Once again my heart lurched, but I bit back a smile when I caught the look Edward gave Bella before he turned his gaze to Kate. Edward closed his eyes and raised his left hand, which he had made a fist with, and I was pretty sure my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Jacob's arm remained around my waist while his left hand settled on my hip, probably as insurance to make sure I remained in his arms.

I held my breath as I watched Bella close her eyes for a second before that now familiar change in the air happened again. Bella opened her eyes after a beat and Kate wrapped her hand around Edward's wrist, the sound of her electrical current filling the air. However, this time Edward didn't cry out or double over in pain. He just grunted softly as Kate continued to hold on to his arm. It felt like an eternity, but I was pretty sure it wasn't even a minute before Edward lowered his arm and Kate relinquished her hold on him.

"It's painful, but it's bearable," Edward said as he looked at Bella and I smiled.

"You did it, Bella!" I cried happily, actually clapping my hands, and making everyone laugh at me while my cousin smiled brightly at me and in a way that was so not the Bella I was used to seeing.

"Okay, we should go again," Bella said as she turned back to look at Edward and Kate.

"Emmett," Edward said quickly as he turned around and looked at his brother, whose stunned and stupefied look on his face made me laugh as I rested my head against Jacob's shoulder/chest. Jacob chuckled with me before he kissed the side of my head.

"I'm good," Emmett said with a 'tough guy' shrug of his shoulders, which only made me laugh quietly once more. With Bella's ability to project her shield, maybe any potential fight wouldn't be as bad as I feared and I had even more hope that it would all work out in the end.


	47. Chapter 47

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds. I'm really glad you all are still enjoying the story so far. To those of you that left unsigned reviews, thank you, and to those that left signed, I did my best to respond to you all, but if I missed you: THANK YOU. I hope you all like this chapter even though it sort of turned out to be a bit more of a filler chapter. PLEASE let me know what you think since I'm not so sure if this chapter is my best. Thank you all for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

"I don't know if I can do this," Leah said as she started to pace the small length of her room at the foot of her bed while I laid out the clothes we had bought yesterday afternoon for her date with Liam onto her bed. I looked at her and laughed quietly as I righted myself and Leah turned her slightly panicked eyes to me. "What if I make a complete fool of myself while showing him around? Or worse, what if we run into one of the guys? That's probably going to happen and they'll do or say something that will freak him out."

"Leah, relax," I said as I quickly moved over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. "I know that this day is a _really_ big day for you, but it's also just a date. And if you run into the guys, don't let them goad you." I lowered my hand from her tense shoulders and she gave me a look "Okay, I know that it's easier to say than do because I'm guilty of letting things get to me, but _try_."

"I'll try," she said with a heavy sigh and I smiled at her. Part of me wanted to tell her that I had a feeling that if they did run into the guys and they got under Leah's skin, Liam would likely tell them (in a nice way of course) to get lost. He seemed like the kind of guy that would be protective, and despite all her special abilities Leah needed someone to be protective of her for a change.

"Good," I said as I nodded my head. "Now, go take a shower and I'll get the makeup out and set up my little station on your dresser."

"Makeup?" Leah asked with raised eyebrows and I laughed.

"Don't worry, I don't actually have that much and I wasn't planning on using a lot. Just a little bit to enhance your eyes and some lip balm. Nothing serious," I said as I shook my head. "When you were trying on the clothes I picked out I bought some stuff yesterday that will suit your skin tone since we're not exactly the same shade and the colors I wear wouldn't really pop on you like I want them to." Leah's eyebrows were still raised and she had an incredulous look on her face. "What?" I asked with a slightly furrowed brow.

"I knew you were girly, Aurora, I just didn't think you were _that_ girly," Leah said as her eyebrows lowered and a grin settled on her lips. I laughed, which made Leah laugh, and I playfully hit her arm before I pointed at her.

"You should be nice to me," I said as I lowered my hand and crossed my arms over my chest, "since I'm helping you get ready for your date."

"Okay, okay," she said as she raised her hands in defeat. I smiled before I uncrossed my arms, walked over to her closet door, grabbed her robe, turned around, and tossed it to her. She easily caught it, a light chuckle still escaping her lips.

"Go shower," I ordered as I pointed to the door. She actually saluted me as she left her room, and I laughed quietly as I watched her go before I made my way over to her dresser and grabbed the small makeup bag that held my makeup purchases from the store yesterday out of the larger bag that held a few pieces of clothing I had bought for myself. I was happy I'd gotten her to relax, but I just hoped that it would last the two hours that we had left before Liam got there.

* * *

"Are you sure this isn't too much, Aurora? I mean, we're just going to have lunch and then I'm showing him around for a while," Leah said as she sat on the foot of her bed and I put the finishing touches on her makeup.

"I'm sure, Leah," I said. "It's not like I'm making you red carpet ready or anything. Now, hold still so I don't poke you in the eye." I grabbed the new tube of mascara I had bought yesterday and Leah sighed before she didn't move an inch as I lifted her eyelid slightly and applied the, as Jacob liked to call it, black goo to her impossibly long eyelashes.

After her shower I had dried her hair with a bit of mousse to add some volume and to help me style her new hair cut a bit. As promised I had kept her makeup light with just a bit of eyeliner and a medium mauve tone eye shadow that I faded on her lid and mixed with a slightly lighter color that was in the little compact I had bought for her. Instead of her usual t-shirt and shorts/sweats ensembles, Leah was dressed in a pair of medium wash low rise boot cut jeans and a simple cream colored silk blouse with sleeves that rested on her elbows and a slight v-neck collar. She had a pair of black ankle boots with a small heel that she could wear since Liam was taller than her and I already had them out and at the ready. In my opinion Leah had always been pretty, even when she scowled all the time, but with a little bit of makeup, a nice outfit, and a smile she was gorgeous.

"Liam is not going to know what hit him when he gets here," I said with a smile of my own, which only made Leah blush. A knock sounded on Leah's open bedroom door and I stepped away from Leah to turn towards the door only to see Seth standing in the doorway. I felt/heard Leah stand up and I glanced at her before I returned my eyes to Seth who was grinning like an idiot as he looked at his sister.

"Wow, Leah, you look great," Seth said as he walked into her room and his grin turned into a full blown smile.

"Thanks," Leah said, her voice quietly, and Seth opened his mouth to say something else but he was interrupted. A firm knock echoed throughout the quiet house before Sue's call of 'coming!' followed while Leah let out a quiet squeak that made both Seth and me laugh. I glanced at Leah's alarm clock and saw that it was five minutes to noon, so, there was no doubt in my mind that Liam had arrived.

"Gotta love that he's punctual," I said, making Seth chuckle. "Seth, would you mind taking my stuff out to my car? It looks like I have to help Leah get herself together so she can go and greet her man." I didn't have much. I'd only brought a couple of my shopping bags in from my car along with my duffle bag that I had packed yesterday before Jacob had brought me to the Clearwater's house last night. Seth chuckled again and nodded his head before he moved over to the small pile I had made of my things while Leah crossed her arms over her chest.

"He's not my man," Leah pretty much hissed at me as Seth gathered my stuff.

"Not yet, but he will be," I said with a smile and Leah's cheeks turned dark pink as she sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Just be yourself and relax, okay?" I said once Seth left the room, all my bags in hand along with the keys to my car that he grabbed off Leah's dresser. "I wasn't kidding when I said that Liam already feels a connection to you, and I bet you ten dollars that he'll ask you out on another date at the end of the night."

"You're seriously going there?" Leah asked, her cheeks still pink but a smile now on her face.

"Yep," I said as I held out my right hand to her. She chuckled before she took my hand into her much warmer one and we shook on it. "Prepare to owe me ten bucks," I said as we let go and Leah just smiled at me as we lowered our hands back to our sides.

"Leah!" Sue's voice called then the smile that was likely on her face was obvious even to my human ears thanks to her light and happy tone, and Leah only blushed yet again. "Liam's here!"

"Count to fifty and follow after me," I said and Leah nodded her head before she took a deep breath and moved over to the mirror above her dresser. I paused before I left the room and watched Leah's eyes widened slightly as she looked at her reflection before she quickly turned her eyes to me. "Told you that you looked amazing," I said with a smile and Leah smiled at me before she laughed quietly. I chuckled before I turned on the balls of my sock clad feet and made my way out of Leah's room and down the short hallway that led straight into the Clearwater's living room. Liam stood in the room, smiling and talking with Sue, but both of them looked at me when I entered the room. "Leah's coming. She's just putting her boots on," I said, using that excuse to give Leah plenty of time to calm her nerves before she came out of her room. "It's nice to see you again, Liam," I said with a smile as I moved to stand by Sue and the tall man smiled at me.

"You too, Aurora," Liam said as he slid his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. He had a soft looking gray sweater on underneath a well-worn dark brown leather jacket that reminded me of Jacob's. Strangely there were a lot of things about Liam that reminded me of Jacob, and to me that was a good thing because of Liam was half as amazing as Jacob was I knew Leah would have the kind of guy she deserved. He wasn't wearing the knit cap he had on yesterday and the top of his hair was neatly styled. To my surprise, I could tell he was a little nervous, not as nervous as Leah was, but nervous all the same and I took that as a good sign.

Leah came out of her room then and Liam's eyes instantly left me. I kept my eyes on his face to see his reaction to Leah and my smile widened when I saw his mouth fall open slightly as he looked at Leah with what could only be described as amazement before he quietly cleared his throat, closed his mouth, smiled at her, and walked over to her. I looked at Sue who was still standing on my left and she looked away from her daughter and Liam to look up at me with a slightly teary eyed smile on her face. Even though she never said it, I knew that Sue worried about Leah the most out of her two children but now she likely felt that she didn't have a reason to worry because Leah would be okay.

"Hey," I heard Leah say and I looked over at the pair. Leah had the lightweight black jacket she had worn yesterday in her hands and was smiling slightly as she looked up at Liam, and while I couldn't really see his face I assumed he was smiling too.

"Hi," Liam said. "You look great."

"Thanks," Leah said. "You look nice too." Liam reached out then and took her jacket from her hands before he opened it and held it out to her. Leah's smile grew before she turned around and Liam helped her put her jacket on. Leah turned around and adjusted her collar before she smiled up at Liam once more and he chuckled quietly as he held out his right hand to her. Leah put her left hand in his before she looked at Sue and me. "I'll be home later, but you can call if you need anything. I have my phone."

"Just have a good time, and it was nice to meet you, Liam," Sue said.

"You too, Mrs. Clearwater," Liam said with a nod of his head before his green eyes moved to me. "See you around, Aurora."

"Oh I know we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Liam," I said. He looked at me curiously, but smiled all the same before he chuckled. Leah shot me a quick glare that I knew didn't have any real anger behind it before the two of them left. Sue let out a soft sigh before she put a gentle hand on my shoulder and I looked at her with a small smile on my lips.

"Leah told me he was good looking, but she didn't say he was _that_ good looking!" Sue said with her other hand on her chest, and I laughed as she lowered her hand and nodded my head.

"I know right?" I asked, which only made Sue chuckle with me. "I should get going too. I've got some homework that I haven't done yet and Christmas presents to hide. Thanks for letting me stay the night."

"You know you're always welcome, and thank _you_ for everything you've done for Leah," Sue said before she hugged me tight. I smiled as I hugged her back and after a beat the two of us pulled apart.

"I haven't done anything special, Sue," I said as I shook my head. Sue gave me a look that told me otherwise, but I just smiled at her once again. "So, dinner on Tuesday?" I asked referring to our usual weekly 'family' dinners at Charlie's and my house, and Sue nodded.

"Tuesday," she said and I hugged her once more before we said our goodbyes. After tugging on my shoes I put on my jacket and scarf and grabbed my purse from the floor. With one final wave at Sue, I headed outside. Walking out on the porch I was surprised to see Jacob leaning against the driver's side door of my car with his arms crossed over his t-shirt clad chest while he chatted with Seth.

"I don't have a problem with it at all," I said as I walked to my car, drawing both of their eyes to me, "but what are you doing here, Jacob?" Seth laughed and grinned at Jacob before he jogged off into the trees, disappearing with a wave in my direction. I waved back at Seth, knowing he was likely headed over to the Cullens' place for the day, as I came to a stop two feet in front of Jacob.

"I've barely seen you since Friday," Jacob said as he uncrossed his arms and pushed up from the side of my car before he reached out and pulled my body flush to his, jarring me a bit but making me smile as I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and raised my hands to rest on his upper arms. "I've missed you."

"You saw me last night," I said and he rolled his eyes.

"Those four hours don't really count because we were surrounded by the enemy," he said with a serious look on his face. However, the corners of his lips were turning up slightly and I couldn't help but laugh softly at him.

"They're not the enemy, Jacob, they're here to help us, and you should be nice to them," I said as I ran my hands up his arms to rest them on his shoulders as I looked up at him.

"Okay, okay, I'll be nice; but you can't tell me that Dracula One and Dracula Two aren't seriously freaky," he said with a grin and I laughed rather loudly at that. Jacob had taken to calling Vladimir and Stefan from the Romanian coven 'Dracula One' and 'Dracula Two' since we were in the agreement that they were exactly what one would think Dracula looked and sounded like.

"That's true," I said once I got my laughter under control and smiled at Jacob as he ran his right hand up and down my back while his left hand settled on my hip. "Days like the last couple of days aren't going to happen a whole lot in the coming weeks are they?" I asked as I looked up at him and he gave me a curious look. "I mean, days that are relatively normal. Pretty soon the snow is actually going to start sticking to the ground, which means the Volturi will be here. Is it too much to ask for there to be a nice long stretch where I don't have to worry about the people that I love dying in some kind of fight? Plus, there's the whole mess with Roman, which will start tomorrow after Charlie makes a couple of calls." He sighed heavily before he leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine.

"We talked about all this worrying you're doing," he said quietly and I laughed softly.

"I know, and I'm not worried about it right_ now_. I'm pissed that we can't just be the teenagers with are with our only concerns being what we're going to do on the weekend and homework." Jacob chuckled softly as he lifted his head and looked at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips once again.

"You've been hanging out with Leah too much. She's starting to rub off on you because you sounded a lot like her just then," he said and I rolled my eyes at him but smiled at the same time. "So, given your little speech, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" he asked and I slid my arms around his shoulders and pressed my body even tighter to his. It wasn't as cold outside as it had been yesterday, but Jacob's warmth was more than welcome and it was an excuse for me to be as close to him as possible at the moment.

"I was just going to head home because I've got homework that I've pushed off all weekend," I said and Jacob chuckled once more.

"Do you have a lot?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Just a calculus assignment that will take me a little while," I said.

"How long do you think it will take you?" he asked and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask?" He didn't give me a verbal answer to my question. Instead he just grinned at me before he leaned forward and caught my lips in a heated kiss that put every nerve ending in my body on end. Sadly, Jacob ended the kiss far too soon for my liking, but the both of us were left panting as he pulled away. "I see," I breathed before I slowly opened my eyes and smiled slightly as I looked up at him. "It probably won't take long so I could get it done later tonight, which means that I am more than up for whatever you're thinking," I said, my smile turning into a grin that had Jacob chuckling as he slowly let me go and pulled my car keys out of the pocket of his jeans, before he spun the ring around his index finger. Obviously, Seth had given to him because until that moment I had forgotten that Seth had taken my keys.

"Let's go then," he said and I swear my knees shook in anticipation thanks the look on his face as he said those oh so simple words.

* * *

While it wasn't cold, it was still a bit too chilly for me to be comfortable at our spot on the cliffs given the wind coming in from over the water. And since Jacob's body heat wouldn't have even been enough to keep me comfortable outside, Jacob had parked my car in a secluded area just off the main road near our spot that provided us with plenty of privacy. It was a tight fit in the backseat of my relatively small car thanks to Jacob's all around massiveness and my height, but as Jacob sat in the middle of the long bench seat with me straddling his lap we were making it work.

For the most part our clothes were still on, however, we both were without our shirts leaving Jacob topless and me in the pale pink cotton bra with white polka dots that I had pulled on that morning. Jacob's left hand was on my jean clad backside while his right hand was tangled in my hair as I broke our heated kiss and trailed my lips along his jaw and down his neck, my own hands rubbing against his strong chest.

"I never thought that I'd do the whole clichéd sex in the backseat of the car thing," I whispered against his skin before I bit his left ear lobe, earning a grunt and small growl from Jacob as I felt his body tremble underneath mine. His hand tightened on my backside as I kissed my way back to his mouth. I pecked his lips before I pulled back far enough so I could look in his eyes. "What about you?" I asked with a grin on my lips and he chuckled as he shook his head.

"I can't say that I've never thought about it, but I didn't think it would actually happen," he admitted and I chuckled before I kissed him softly. He sighed into the kiss as his hand left my hair and slid down my back at the same time I felt his other hand slide up my back from my butt. I felt his hands take hold of the clasp of my bra before he expertly unhooked it and pulled the soft cotton away from my body.

I broke our kiss, putting a small bit of distance between us that allowed me to pull my arms out of my bra before Jacob tossed it on the seat next to our discarded shirts. I shivered slightly when his hands returned to my hips before his hands ghosted up my waist as his eyes held mine. I smiled at him as I rested my hands against his chest and he grinned at me in return. He leaned forward then, kissing my chin and then danced his lips down my neck and left collar bone before he moved his attention to my chest. I gasped and arched my back into him as his hands joined his mouth in his loving attention before my hands made their way into his short hair.

After a few blissful minutes I bowed my head and placed a kiss on top of Jacob's, which caused him to pause in his ministrations before he lifted his head so he could look at me. I smiled at him before I pulled his face to mine and kissed him hard on the mouth. He kissed me back as his hands once again settled on my hips and I gently pushed his back against the back of the seat once more with my breasts pressing flat against his chest.

The windows were foggy as the rest of our clothes were soon awkwardly discarded and my naked body was once again straddling Jacob's. Our hands had explored well known and familiar paths across each other's bodies, and I was more than ready for him just as he was more than ready for me. We were kissing again when I reached between our bodies and positioned him into place, however, Jacob pulled his lips from mine as I started to lower myself onto him and our eyes locked. I raised my hand from between our bodies to rest on his shoulder while my left hand was in his hair. His hands slid up from my thighs to grip my hips and he helped guide me down the rest of the way.

I pressed my sweaty forehead to his and my hand that was on his shoulder moved to rest on his strong chest. I could feel his fast and steady heartbeat underneath my palm, and the rhythm matched mine perfectly. He turned his head and kissed me slowly as I started to rock my hips against his. Jacob moaned quietly into the kiss before he broke it as his left hand moved from my hip to tangle in my hair. I looked at him with a smile on my swollen lips, and he easily returned my smile with a grin of his own before I rested my forehead against his once again and picked up the pace.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed as I moved against Jacob, but it didn't feel all that long before I could feel a familiar curling in my lower abdomen. Jacob growled quietly, sending shivers down my spine, as he tightened his hold on my hair and pulled my head back a bit before he kissed me hard just as I slammed my hips down against his. The world exploded around me, and I couldn't help but cry out, my voice muffled by Jacob's demanding kiss before he too went tumbling over the edge.

I pulled my lips from Jacob's and buried my face in the crook of my neck as I struggled to catch my breath. Jacob wrapped his arms around me, holding me firmly to my chest, as he too panted and struggled a bit to catch his breath. I let out a small giggle for some reason, but thankfully Jacob chuckled with me as I lifted my head and looked at him with a smile on my lips.

"I'm glad I went with your idea of how to spend my afternoon than mine. Much more fun," I said, earning a full-fledged smile and another chuckle from Jacob before he kissed me chastely, his hands running soothingly up and down my back before they settled on my hips once again.

"I completely agree," he said quietly and I smiled at him before I slowly pulled away from him. With Jacob's help I cleaned myself up a bit before the two of us redressed, bumping into each other throughout the process before Jacob pulled me into his side as we remained sitting in the backseat of my car.

That had been the first time we'd been _together_ like that since we were down in San Diego, and that was really only because he was too tired to do much more than sleep when he would climb up into my window lately. During the last few weeks the packs had been training during any free moment that was had, working so that should a fight break out with the Volturi they'd be as ready as possible. So, when he wasn't at the Cullens' place, running patrol, taking care of his dad, or spending a few hours with me, he was working his ass off; which was why it had been a month since we'd been together.

"You okay?" he asked quietly and I laughed quietly before I looked up at him with a lazy smile make its way across my lips.

"More than okay," I said, "but Charlie's probably wondering where the hell I am." Jacob laughed at that and shook his head as he ran his hand up and down my arm.

"No he's not," he said and I raised an eyebrow.

"He's not?" I asked and he shook his head again.

"Dad asked Charlie over to watch the football game, so, he's been at my place all afternoon," Jacob said and I scoffed a quiet laugh before I pulled back from him slightly and gave him a pointed look.

"Which means we could have gone to my place to spend the afternoon rather than spending it cramped in the backseat of my car," I said and for a quiet beat Jacob just looked at me, blinking slowly, before he blushed and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah," he said. "I didn't really think about that." I rolled my eyes and laughed at him before I raised my left hand to the side of his face before I kissed him chastely.

"That's okay," I whispered as I ran my thumb across his cheek. "Despite the leg cramps I love you anyway." He rolled his eyes before he chuckled and leaned forward to catch my lips in a soft kiss.

"Good," he whispered back and I laughed quietly before I lowered my hand from his face, resting it on his chest as I rested my head on his shoulder. It had grown darker outside, given the time of year the sun set earlier and earlier, meaning that we had been parked and locked away in my car for hours; but I didn't care and I doubted Jacob cared all that much either. We were content to sit there together in the afterglow of our afternoon together with all our worries completely out of mind for just a little while longer.

* * *

Monday came and went without much stress or fuss aside from Charlie scheduling an appointment for us to meet with Roman and his attorney in Seattle on Saturday. We were going to officially meet before lab technicians would take a sample of my DNA and Roman's for comparison. However, Charlie had surprised me (and Jacob too) when he said that Carlisle and Esme had hired an attorney for us to ensure that I would have representation should Roman's attorney try to have Charlie sign any papers or coerce him into anything. I knew that there was a slim chance of that happening since Charlie was far from stupid, but it was going to be nice to have someone who knew all the legal mumbo jumbo that was likely going to be thrown around on Saturday.

Tuesday was a better day. That night during our 'family' dinner with Sue, Leah, Seth, and Jacob, Leah had told me all about her date with Liam and how he was a _really_ great guy. She'd even paid me the ten bucks she owed me thanks to the fact that they had set a second date for Wednesday night. She would be borrowing Sue's truck and driving to Port Angeles for dinner and movie with her hunky former Marine, who like I assumed had a little bit of his own baggage; a piece of which he had already shared with Leah.

While we were doing the dishes after dinner, Leah had privately confided in me that towards the end of the date Liam had told her why he had been honorably discharged from the Marines. He said that he wanted to be upfront with her, that he didn't want to hide it from her because he liked her. His honorable discharge from the Marines stemmed from the fact that he had lost his left leg from the knee down while overseas in Afghanistan.

On Saturday and Sunday I hadn't been able to tell that Liam used a prosthetic leg. I mean, I had noticed that he walked with a slight limp, but I didn't really think all that much about it; however, the fact that he had a limp made sense now that I knew about his prosthetic. Leah had said that she could tell that he had been nervous to tell her because his heart had been racing like crazy, but the smile that fluttered across Leah's lips told me that she had taken the news like a pro; and she confirmed that for me when she said she had just took his hand and told him that she liked him for _him_ and not his legs.

The rest of the week went by as usual with me going to the Cullens' house to visit Renesmee and my new friends and obviously thank Esme and Carlisle for hiring the attorney, whom Charlie and I spoke to over the phone on Thursday. Sadly, as my alarm went off at four-thirty Saturday morning I was already wide awake and quickly turned it off. Jacob's arm tightened around me as he pulled my back flush against his chest and I smiled softly as I put my hand on his strong forearm, which was wrapped securely around my stomach, before I looked over my left shoulder at him.

"Did you even sleep?" he asked, his voice heavy with sleep and slightly raspy given the early hour and that he'd just woken up from a deep sleep.

"I got a few hours," I said and he sighed before he kissed my temple and slowly pulled away from me. I let out a soft sigh of my own before I climbed out of bed as he turned on the lamp beside my bed and did the same thing.

ilently, we made my bed together before I told Jacob he could have the bathroom first because I wanted to go downstairs and turn the coffee on for Charlie and make sure he was up. However, when I got downstairs I was surprised to find Charlie already up, fully dressed, and sitting at the kitchen table looking down at his cup of coffee with a pensive look on his face.

"Morning," I said quietly, drawing his attention to me. He was quick to give me a tight lipped smile but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and Charlie looked about as tired as I felt.

"Morning," he said quietly and I walked over to him, pulled out the chair next to his and sat down. "Where's Jake?"

"In the bathroom getting ready," I said and he nodded his head. "I didn't think you'd be the first one up let along dressed and ready for the day," I said and Charlie chuckled quietly before he took a sip of his still steaming coffee and then looked at me.

"I haven't been out of bed long, but I didn't sleep all that great last night," he said and I nodded my head in agreement.

"Yeah, I didn't either," I said, which caused Charlie to sigh before he lifted his left hand to rest gently on my t-shirt clad right shoulder.

"You know, if you don't want to go into the meeting with Robert and me you don't have to, Aurora," he told me as he rubbed my shoulder gently, referring to the attorney Carlisle and Esme had hired. "You don't have to meet Roman today, and if it turns out you are his daughter, then you can meet him on your terms. Not his."

"I know," I said as I ran my fingers through my tangled hair while Charlie's hand remained on my shoulder. "Part of me doesn't want to meet him today, but the other part of me is curious to see what he looks like and to see if I could find any physical similarities between him and me. It's silly, I know, since I do look a lot like my mom, but I can't help but be a little curious."

"Which is understandable," Charlie said as he lowered his hand and I nodded. A comfortable silence fell between us, and it was easy to hear the shower still running upstairs meaning Jacob was still getting ready. Taking a deep breath, I turned slightly in my seat so I was facing Charlie full on rather than looking at him over my shoulder.

"Charlie?" I asked after a minute of silence and Charlie turned his dark eyes to me once again.

"Yeah?" he asked back.

"I want you to know that even if Roman turns out to be my biological father, nothing is going to change between the two of us," I said and Charlie actually looked a little taken back by my words. "You're still going to be the only man I would ever really consider to be like a dad to me. You're still going to be the one that walks me down the aisle when Jacob and I get married in the distant but not _too_ distant future; and if you're okay with it, I want any children that Jacob and I have to call you 'Grandpa Charlie' to save any confusion between you and Billy." I said that last bit with a genuine smile, which earned a quiet chuckle from Charlie as he let go of his coffee cup and turned in his own seat before he leaned forward and wrapped me up in a tight hug.

Tears started to sting my eyes, so, I closed them as I returned Charlie's hug; wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I could manage while I turned my face into his shoulder. He kissed the side of my head then as he sighed and continued to hug me tight, his right hand rubbing across my upper back in a comforting fatherly like manner.

"Aside from you and Jake waiting until you're at least thirty to get married and have kids, there's nothing that would make me happier," he said into my hair. I laughed at that as I pulled back from him, however, our arms remained around each other as I looked at him and continued to chuckle. He was smiling now, a full genuine smile, as he looked back at me and I sniffed to keep the tears at bay before I shook my head.

"I can't guarantee that that'll happen, but I promise we're not going to get married the second I graduate from high school and no babies until we're financially stable for them," I said and Charlie chuckled yet again before he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. Ever since he'd started dating Sue, Charlie had become more affectionate and much more open with his emotions, which I was rather grateful for. Plus, I liked to think that I had a hand in that too since I was a bit of an affectionate person with the people that I loved.

"I guess I can live with that," he said and I smiled at him before I hugged him again.

"I love you, Charlie," I said, my voice muffled slightly by his shoulder, but when he sighed quietly and his arms tightened around me I knew he heard me.

"I love you too, Aurora," he said back quietly. As we sat there hugging I sent up a silent prayer that everything would work out today and that any drama would be at a minimum.


	48. Chapter 48

Hey! Okay, I know I'm a terrible, terrible person for making you wait so long for this chapter but I have a pretty good excuse. I went camping the week of the Fourth of July (my fellow Americans likely understand the tradition) and got a sunburn from hell despite my many layers of sunblock during my five day adventure with the boyfriend. I also acquired a lovely ear infection on top of the sunburn, which thanks to the help of some antibiotics is much better. So, after a week of healing and recuperating I'm still a bit sunburned but I can finally hear out of my ear with almost no pain, which allowed me to focus and get this chapter complete.

Now, with that said, thank you all so much for your reviews and adds and for your continued support of this story. I'm sorry that it took me so long to finally get this chapter up and I'm sorry that I didn't respond to everyone's reviews; especially since you all had such great things to say about the moment between Aurora and Charlie at the end. I would have responded to them before this posting, but it's late and I'm exhausted, so, I thought it better just to post the new chapter. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I PROMISE that if you leave a signed review for this chapter I will respond this time around. I hope you guys like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

"I'm going to be sick," I said under my breath, knowing Jacob was the only one in the car that heard the muttered words, as I sat in the front passenger seat of my car. I heard Jacob sigh heavily and fidget in his seat in the back before I felt his warm hand reach in between the seat and the side of the car to give my upper right arm a squeeze. I looked over my right shoulder and around the headrest to look at Jacob, who was seated behind me since I was able to have my seat relatively close to the dashboard because I wasn't driving like Charlie. He gave me a tight lipped smile, that I did my best to return before I turned my gaze back to the windshield and the road ahead while Jacob lowered his hand from my arm.

We had decided to drive my car since it was a little more practical than taking Charlie's cruiser into Seattle, and after the initial blushing rampage that followed the memories of Jacob and me in the backseat of my car passed we set off on the road at quarter to six that morning. Now, we were in Seattle and making our way through downtown. Thankfully, Charlie seemed to know where he was going through the seemingly endless winding roads. I knew that it only seemed that way to me because I was so nervous and apprehensive for what was going to happen in the next handful of hours.

Finally, Charlie turned into a parking ramp, grabbed the little ticket from the machine, and drove into the parking ramp. Thankfully, it didn't take us long to find a parking spot and I took a deep breath as Charlie parked the car and turned off the engine before he looked at me, pulling the keys out of the ignition with a soft sigh.

"Robert said that this place will pretty much be deserted today since it's the weekend, but that he'd be waiting for us in the lobby. Security will have let him in by now, so, if you're ready we'll head on over to the building. It's across the street," Charlie said as he looked at me, concern in his brown eyes that I desperately wanted to get rid of. I hated that Charlie was so worried about me. Jacob worried enough for the both of them most of the time.

"I'm ready," I said, my voice far stronger and surer than I actually felt, and Charlie gave me a look that told me he didn't quite believe me. "Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so, there's no point in putting it off," I amended and Charlie gave me a tight lipped smile that I uneasily returned before the three of us climbed out of my car. I had taken my jacket and scarf off during the long drive, so, I had them in my hands when I closed the car door.

I shivered a bit, but before I could start to put my things back on Jacob took my jacket from my hands and held it out to me. He grinned when I looked at him and I chuckled and smiled before I turned around and slid my arms into my jacket before he shrugged it on. His hands gently massaged my tense shoulders and for a moment my nervousness and fear for the next couple of hours ebbed away as I buttoned up my jacket and Jacob's hands lingered for a bit. When I wrapped my scarf around my neck he gently pulled my shortened hair out from underneath it and after securing my scarf into place I turned around and smiled at him.

"Thanks," I said softly and he smiled at me before he leaned down and kissed my forehead, taking my left hand into his right in the process before we joined Charlie who was waiting near the trunk of my car. Charlie put a comforting hand on my upper back before he lowered it as the two of us started to make our way out of the parking ramp. Even when we got outside and stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change so we could make our way into the tall glass and steel building that took up the entire city block, I felt like I was on auto pilot and just going through the motions. It was almost like how I felt during the day of my mom's funeral, numb and like I wasn't really _there_ mentally, but at the same time it wasn't like it because this time around I was fully aware of what was going on around me.

We waked in silence when the traffic light changed and we crossed the street and headed towards the entrance where Robert was waiting for us. Jacob's iron grip didn't waver from my hand as we stopped in front of the large glass doors, Charlie peered inside before I saw him give someone a small smile and waved his right hand before he stepped back. Barely a minute later a man dressed in a security officer's uniform was opening one of the doors and ushering Charlie, Jacob, and me into the lobby.

"Charlie, it's good to meet you person," a rich baritone voice said as the security guard closed the door behind us and I saw Charlie shake hands with a man who was as tall as him but dressed in a navy suit that had likely cost as much as Charlie and Sue had paid for my used car.

"You too, Robert," Charlie said as he nodded his head slightly before the two men let go of each other's hands and Robert turned his brown eyes to me, a warm smile on his face. He was younger than Charlie, I guessed mid-thirties, and he had neatly cut blonde hair and a relatively handsome face. He looked like a nice guy, but he also had an air about him that gave me the impression he was not one to be messed with, which was probably why he was a great attorney. I'd done a bit of research on Robert Garner when Charlie had told me his name and he was one of the top family law attorneys in Washington state, and that made me feel like I owed Carlisle and Esme even more for hiring him.

"And you must be Aurora," Robert said kindly and I managed to muster a smile as I looked at him.

"That's me," I said, my voice trembling a bit and portraying my nervousness, but Robert just continued to smile at me before his eyes flickered up to Jacob in mild surprise.

"I'm Jacob Black, Aurora's boyfriend," he said, introducing himself, and Robert nodded his head before he held out his right hand to Jacob. Jacob let go of my hand then and took hold of Robert's hand to shake it.

"It's nice to meet you, Jacob," Robert said. "Charlie had told me you'd be joining him and Aurora today and I'm glad you're here to support her." Jacob nodded his head curtly before he let go of Robert's hand and was quick to take my hand into his once more, lacing our fingers together as I heard him sigh quietly. "Well, Mr. Grant, his attorney, and the lab technicians are waiting for us upstairs," Robert said as he looked at Charlie before he looked at me. "If you're ready, we'll head on up." I found it funny that Robert had pretty much just said the same thing Charlie had in the car, but I just nodded my head this time around and Jacob squeezed my hand. "All right, let's go," he said quietly. The security guard was settled at his station and shot us tight lipped smiles as we passed him by and went to the elevator bay.

We rode up the elevator in silence and my heart started to pick up the pace the higher we went, but Jacob's hand didn't leave mine. Not even when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I took a deep breath as I followed Robert and Charlie off the elevator with Jacob still at my side. Apparently the law firm took up the entire floor we had arrived on and after turning to the left we were greeted by an empty receptionist desk and the name 'Bradley and Morrison' in large block gold letters on the dark wall behind it. However, the waiting area of the office was not empty.

"Robert, good to see you again," a gruff voice said and my eyes left the shining lettering to see a shorter man with white-gray hair cut and styled neatly on top of his head. Like Robert he was wearing an expensive looking suit but a gray one. Robert smiled and shook hands with the gray haired man as he nodded.

"You as well Howard," Robert said before he lowered his hand back to his side. "Thank you for agreeing to do all of this on a Saturday. With Aurora being in school and having mid-terms next week before her winter holiday, we didn't want to have her miss any school." Howard just nodded before he turned his eyes to Charlie, Jacob, and me. Thankfully, I managed to hold back a smile when Howard raised his eyebrows and blinked rapidly a few times as he looked up at Jacob. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone stand up slowly from one of the chairs in the waiting area, but I kept my eyes on Howard while my heart rate only picked up yet again. "Howard, this is Charlie Swan, Aurora, and Aurora's boyfriend, Jacob Black." Howard cleared his throat and turned his eyes to Charlie and smiled as he held out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Swan," he said and Charlie, albeit reluctantly, shook the man's hand. "I'm Howard Bradley. Mrs. Thompson had nothing but good things to say about you when I spoke to her." Charlie didn't say a word, he just nodded his head, as he gave Howard a tight lipped smile and when they let go of each other's hands Charlie moved back a bit so he was standing directly on my right rather than slightly in front of me like he had been. Howard turned slightly and gestured with his right hand. "Roman," he said quietly and Jacob's hand tightened around mine.

I took a deep breath and squeezed his hand back as I finally tore my eyes away from Howard and looked to the man who believed himself to be my biological father. I was surprised to see that he was taller than I was expecting, standing maybe only two or three inches shorter than Jacob, and it was obvious that he cared about his appearance given that I could tell he was in serious good shape for his age. I wasn't surprised to see him dressed in a suit as well, one that looked just as expensive if not more than the two attorneys' suits. Edward (who insisted on doing some research into Roman for me) had told me that he seemed like a very determined and career driven man. I had never wanted to see a photo of him, but Edward's description of a man with a stern face and mildly cold eyes served him well.

His hair was an ashy brown color with a great deal of gray around his temples, and despite his stoic expression he would be considered attractive with his blue eyes, regal nose, and well defined jaw line. However, what pained me the most at that moment was that I could actually see little nuances in his features that were similar to mine and before the test was even complete I was resigned to the fact that it was all the more likely that this man was my biological father. I took another deep breath before I finally bit the bullet and let my eyes fully meet his, and to my astonishment Roman's stoic expression melted away into one of complete surprise.

"Goodness, you look nearly identical to Lizzie," Roman said quietly, his accented voice reminding me of Alistair since the grumpy vamp was from England as well. However, I was surprised to hear him call Mom 'Lizzie' since she _hated_ that nickname, but it was then that I realized why Mom might have hated it when her friends called her Lizzie. It was because Roman used to call her that and aside from me, she seemed to cut every tie that she ever had with him away from her.

"I'm well aware that I look like my mom, thank you," I said as evenly as I could but my voice still trembled with nerves. Jacob ran his thumb over the back of my hand to comfort me while Charlie raised his left hand and rested it on my upper back. I squeezed Jacob's hands slightly in thanks to him, but I looked at Charlie and smiled softly when my blue eyes met his brown. He smiled back before he gently rubbed his hand over my back twice before he lowered his hand. We returned our gaze to the other men and Roman actually looked a bit sheepish as he looked at me.

"Well, the lab technician is waiting for us in the conference room," Howard said, breaking the awkward silence that had fell around us after my small exchange with Roman and then Charlie. "Shall we get the necessities for the test out of the way and then we can all sit and talk things through?"

"Yes, I think that would be best," Robert said and Howard nodded before he and Roman started leading the rest of us toward a large conference room that rested on the other side of the darkly painted wall. Jacob and I were the last ones to enter the room but I tugged on his hand as I hesitated to follow Charlie inside and he stopped and turned to look down at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a whisper knowing full well that the other s were watching and waiting for us just inside the room; well, Howard and Roman were watching us while Robert and Charlie had moved off to talk to the lab technician who was a pretty woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail and black framed glasses on her face.

"Nothing," I whispered softly enough so that I knew he would be the only one that could possibly hear me, "I just need a little bit more of that Jacob Black certainty of yours that everything's going to be okay." He gave me a small smile before he raised his left hand to the side of my face and gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

"It's going to be okay, Rory, I promise," he whispered, his brown eyes never leaving mine and I felt a little bit of tension leave my body as I nodded my head. His smile softened slightly before he leaned forward and pressed a warm kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering a little longer than they should have but I really didn't care as I closed my eyes. "Don't worry," he said with a pause as he pulled back and I opened my eyes to look at him, "I'm not going to leave your side unless you have to use the bathroom or something." I laughed under my breath at that, thankful that he made me feel a little lighter with his lame attempt at humor, before I softly hit his chest, which made him grin. "Let's go in," he said as he jerked his head slightly towards the door in front of us and I nodded yet again before the two of us entered the conference room.

* * *

Robert and Howard had been going back and forth for the last half an hour about what the next course of action was to be should the test come back to show that I was Roman's daughter. The inside of my cheeks still tingled a bit from the cotton swabs that had been run along the inside of my mouth for the technician to get a bit of my DNA, but other than that the test had been painless. However, what was not painless was listening to Howard and Robert talk about me like I was a piece of property or something. They talked about how if Roman was my biological father he had every right to visitation and legal custody so he would be consulted regarding any health related issues; and looking between Charlie and Jacob neither one of them were exactly comfortable with how I was being talked about either.

"You are aware that she'll be eighteen in roughly seven months, aren't you?" Charlie asked suddenly, interrupting Howard who had been going on about Roman's rights and how if mediating the issues wouldn't be favorable to his client he would be more than happy to take the issue to the Court. All eyes had turned to Charlie when he spoke and, seemingly flustered by Charlie's outburst, Howard had been about to respond when Charlie beat him to it. "She'll be an adult in July, and I know the court system well enough to know that a judge would likely laugh you out of the courtroom. Especially since it would likely be _months_ before you'd even get the matter before the Court and she'd be even closer to being eighteen."

"Mr. Swan, I understand that you think you know wh-," Howard began in a condescending tone, and anger filled me at the sound and at the way that Howard was looking at Charlie. Robert looked like he was about to intervene, but I wasn't having it.

"Don't you talk to him like that!" I said sharply as I stood from my seat, which was across the large table from Roman. I glared at Howard as he looked at me with raised eyebrows and I clenched my fists at my sides. "He's right and you know damn well that he is." Howard huffed and looked at Robert with an expression that clearly said 'control your clients,' but I just rolled my eyes and looked at Roman who was looking at me with an expression I could not read on his face. However, I had questions. Questions that I was finally finding the courage to ask and I took a deep breath before I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.

"Look, Mr. Grant, I understand that you think you have the right to have a say in what goes on in my life, but in reality you don't. Not anymore anyway. I'm practically an adult, I'll be out of high school soon, and I've already got plans set for college and my future. If you are my biological father, that's great because then I could get a medical history from you so I could know of any potential medical conditions; but other than that I don't want or need anything from you.

"The only time in my life that I ever wondered 'where's my daddy' was when I was really little and noticed how my friends had moms and dads, but after a short phase I didn't think of it anymore. I had a wonderful life with my mom, one that I wouldn't change for anything, and I continue to have one with Charlie. Why do you want to come in and try to ruin everything?" The room was silent. Completely silent after my little speech and Roman and I just looked at each other for several quiet beats before he sighed softly and looked away from me.

"Could I have a moment alone with Aurora?" he asked as he looked between Howard, Robert, and Charlie. Even though I wasn't close enough to really sense it and even though I wasn't even looking at him, I knew Jacob had tensed at the question.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Jacob said and I turned my head to the left only to see him stand from his seat and have him take hold of my hand while he looked at Roman. "I'm sure that deep down you're a nice guy and everything, Mr. Grant, but I'm not exactly comfortable leaving Aurora alone with you."

"Fifteen minutes is all I am asking for," Roman said and I looked at him and saw that he was giving Jacob a contemplative look. I wasn't sure what Roman was thinking as he looked at Jacob, but it was obvious to those in the room that didn't know Jacob that Jacob was protective of me and was only looking out for me. "I swear to you that I truly do not mean Aurora any harm. I would just like to talk to her privately for a few minutes." I heard Jacob sigh and Charlie cleared his throat, bringing my attention and everyone else's to him.

"If Aurora is comfortable with it, I don't see why they can't talk for a few minutes," Charlie said before he too stood from his seat and looked at me. "Would you be okay with talking to him? If not, don't be afraid to say so."

From the look in Charlie's eyes I could tell that he wasn't comfortable leaving me alone with Roman, but he was giving me the option and leaving the final decision up to me; and that made me love Charlie all the more. Forty-five minutes ago I would have said 'hell no' to talking to Roman on my own, but I wanted my question answered and it didn't look like he was going to give me an answer unless we were alone. So, after a minute silent mental deliberation I nodded.

"Okay," Charlie said and Jacob's hold on my hand tightened. "Fifteen minutes," Charlie said as he turned his eyes to Roman before quickly looked at Jacob. "Come on, Jake. She'll be okay," he said and I turned my eyes to Jacob. His shoulders were stiff and I could make out the slightest of trembles in them as I felt the gentle vibration down his arm thanks to his iron grip on my hand. He looked at me, finally tearing his eyes from Roman.

"I'll be okay," I said, maintaining my courage and bottling away my nerves. He sighed through his nose before he gave me a tense and curt nod and then leaned down to place a soft chaste kiss upon my lips.

"I'll be listening," he promised in a whisper and I subtly nodded as he pulled away and let go of my hand before he hesitantly followed Charlie, Robert, and a sulking Howard out of the room. I watched them walk away and when the door closed behind them I looked at Roman for a moment before I turned away from him and walked over to the large wall of windows that looked over downtown Seattle, crossing my arms over my chest in the process.

"That young man loves you very much," Roman said, breaking the silence after a beat.

"And I love him just as much," I said automatically, my eyes still trained on the window and staring off into the distance but not looking at anything in particular. "He's very good to me."

"He's also very protective of you," Roman said, his voice much closer than it had been. I looked over my right shoulder to find him standing about four feet away from me as he too looked out the window. He turned his eyes to me then and I sighed softly once again as I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Aurora, I know you do not think very highly of me and despite what you might think my tracking you down was not to ruin your life."

"Then why?" I asked.

"Because I loved your mother very much and if you are my daughter, which I am truly convinced you are now that I've actually laid my eyes on you, I just want a chance to get to know you," he said.

"You loved my mother?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I chose to ignore the second half of his sentence. "She was your _mistress_."

"Just because I was not married to her does not mean that my feelings for her were not genuine," Roman said with a furrowed brow. "I truly did love her, Aurora, and part of me still does."

"I don't believe you," I said as I shook my head.

"Whether you believe me or not, it's the truth," he said. "She's the one that ended our affair after a year, and I was gutted when she did. However, she asked me never to contact her again and to leave her alone, which was what I did. Until I was in Los Angeles at a conference in June when I overheard a conversation and Lizzie's name came up.

"The two men and one woman were talking about how Lizzie's death was such a tragedy and that now only had the company she worked for lost a bright mind but the world had lost such a lovely person. I hoped and prayed that they were talking about a different Elizabeth Bishop, but the next day, after a little digging, I found out that they were indeed talking about my Lizzie."

"My mother was not your anything," I said quickly, uncomfortable with the tone he had taken as he spoke about her. He sighed softly as he looked at me before he turned his gaze out the window once more.

"It is possible to love more than one person; and while I do love my wife, it pales in comparison to the love that I had for your mother."

"It's selfish to claim that you loved two people at once," I said, drawing his attention back to me. "When you say that you love two people at the same time it's because you want them both and you don't care who gets hurt so long as you have them both." Roman reminded me of Bella before she had finally let her feelings for Jacob go; he wanted the best of both worlds and damn the consequences.

"It's not that simple," he said as he shook his head.

"Trust me, it is," I said and he sighed. "If the love you felt for my mom made the love you have for your wife feel like puppy love, then why didn't you just leave your wife? Why have an affair with her for a year?"

"I had three children, all under ten years of age, and responsibilities that I could not turn my back on," he said. "My company was taking off with opportunities left and right. I couldn't."

At those words it was like everything clicked for me and I completely understood why he was so insistent on wedging his way into my life with the help of his lawyer and threatened attempts to take it to court if we refused. It was then that I was sure those threats were hollow, and that they really had no intention of doing so. They just wanted to scare us into an agreement, but Charlie wasn't stupid and neither was I; and at that moment all the anxiousness and fear that had built up over the last couple of weeks was gone. I could have cared less if the test results came back saying he was my father because this man no longer had any power over me.

"Now I get why you're doing all of this. It makes perfect sense," I said as I uncrossed my arms and laughed softly before I shook my head.

"What?" he asked with his brow furrowed once more.

"You really are a selfish person, Mr. Grant," I said and he blinked at me in surprise. "My mom's gone, but I'm the next best thing, right? And with the possibility of me being your daughter pretty much guaranteed at this point, you have a permanent link to her and a way to have her in your life again. Plus, the fact that I look a lot like her is the icing on the cake for you and makes me a living breathing memento of the time you had with her."

"That's no-," he said, but I interrupted him because the flush to his cheeks told me I hit the nail on the head despite his oncoming denial.

"Don't lie," I said. "The only reason you want anything to do with me is to have a way to be connected to my mother again. Have you even told your wife about any of this yet?" The flush on his face darkened and his shoulders tensed, which told me he had not told her anything and he likely had no plans on doing so. "Wow," I said with a laugh as I shook my head once more. "When the test results come in and show that I really am your daughter, I welcome you to take this to court and try to have an order issued to force your way into my life. I know you're not going to do it, of course, because that would be public exposure and your wife would find out all about your affair with my mother and me, and likely divorce your ass and get a good chunk of that fortune of yours.

"I'm sorry your plan to play the 'I loved her' card on me backfired, Mr. Grant. I may be young but I'm certainly not naïve and I'm definitely not stupid. Good luck to you," I said with a nod of my head and I turned around to head for the door when Roman roughly grabbed me by upper arm. His hold was tight and I was certain that it was going to leave behind a bruise. I gasped as I looked up into his blue eyes, which were filled with anger as he looked down at me. I realized then why Mom likely ended her affair with the man in front of me.

"You listen to me, girl, I won't have you speak to me like that. You don't know who you're mes-," he started, but he didn't get to finish. He was ripped away from me in a flash and after blinking to get my bearings I saw that Jacob had Roman pinned to the wall of windows by his throat was snarling at him.

"Jacob!" I yelled before I rushed over and put my left hand on the bicep of his left arm that was pinning Roman to the window and my right hand on his trembling back. "Jacob, I'm okay. You came in before he could do anything, so, just let him go." Jacob looked at me for a second before he turned his hard gaze back to Roman. I followed his movement and saw that Roman had paled considerably and had both of his hands wrapped around Jacob's wrist and forearm. He looked like he was about to pee his pants or something and the fear was very present in his eyes as he looked at Jacob. "Jacob, please," I whispered as I looked back at him. "He's just not worth it." Jacob let out a low growl before he roughly released his hold on Roman before he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me away from the man that was now gasping for air.

"You so much as contact Aurora, Charlie, or anyone that they care about in any way," Jacob said lowly, his body still trembling, as Roman righted himself and cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked at Jacob, "you won't like the consequences." Roman knew he was defeated, I could tell by the resignation in his eyes as he looked up at Jacob. He had no power over me, which sadly was what he wanted and had until I realized just _why_ he was so gung how about all of this. And had he came into the picture a year ago or sooner he would have had it but thankfully, it hadn't turned out that way.

"Howard, I respect you as a fellow attorney," Robert said as Jacob turned us away from Roman and nearly carried me towards the door where Charlie stood with our coats in hand. I looked at Robert to see him glaring daggers at a flabbergasted looking Howard while Charlie looked about as murderous as Jacob had when he had Roman pinned to the window. "However, I think you should really be more selective of the people you take on as clients.

"Also, I will welcome any motion you want to bring forward because I can guarantee you that you'll lose and don't look for us to come to any sort of agreement at any mediation you want to schedule. I'd turn in my license before I'd allow him to have any sort of contact with her after that display. I can only imagine what he would have done had Jacob not insisted on standing close to the door. Good bye, Howard."

Before the other man could say anything, Robert was ushering the rest of us out of the conference room and back through the waiting area to the elevators. Jacob had yet to let go of me so I could put my coat on, but I was more than comfortable at the present moment. My mind was spinning a million miles an hour as we rode down on the elevator and I was well aware that Charlie was having a heated discussion with Robert, but I wasn't processing anything that they were saying. I looked up at Jacob only to see he was still scowling as he stared ahead, but sensing my eyes on his face he turned his head and looked at me. Jacob sighed softly before he leaned down and pressed a kiss on my forehead.

"Nothing like that is ever going to happen again," he whispered against my skin as the doors dinged open but we lingered in the elevator. "Human or no, I'll tear his head off and rip him limb from limb without any trouble at all." Despite the completely morbid visual and despite it being something I most definitely did not want Jacob to do, I felt all the tension leave my body because I knew he was totally serious. He kissed my forehead one more time before he pulled back and guided me off the elevator and over to a waiting Robert and Charlie, the latter of whom still looked like he was ready for war; and I knew that no harm would ever come to me so long as Jacob _and_ Charlie was around, and even after what had just happened I never felt safer.


End file.
